Just a Little Advice
by rawritschae
Summary: Neji seems very intrigued when a new kunoichi comes to stay with the Hyuugas for a summer. NejixOC, partial SaixOC, and a little bit of NaruxGaa. rated M for implied sexual themes and drug use
1. A Change is as Good as a Rest

The wind whipped around me as I stood, simply staring at the thick walls that stood between me and my destination. The intimidating, metal gates seemed to warn me that I was not welcome in a place such as this. But my mind went against my instincts, allowing me to step forward with the knowledge that I was summoned to this ominously peaceful place.

I bowed heavily to the guards who were standing before me, amused by my timid actions. Reaching into my pocket I extracted an envelope that withheld the information I needed to get to the inside of the very walls that sent shivers down my spine. One of the men extended a pale hand to take the envelope from me. It was like an eternity waiting under the scrutinizing gaze of the other man as he opened and read the letter inside. With a curt nod he folded the parchment and placed it back in the envelope before handing it back to me.

I was a bit startled when the heavy gates slowly and noisily parted to allow me entrance. I bowed again, this time, to each of the men separately. They both bowed in return and I continued on my way into the inner mechanism of the compound. I could hear the metal gates clang shut behind me and found the sound eerie, as though I would never be able to pass through those doors again.

Following the rest of the directions that I was given, I found the main house easily. But there was really no need for them, the building was grand and caught my attention almost as soon as I had laid my eyes on it. Upon entering I inhaled the sweet aromas of pastries and freshly cut flowers. I closed my eyes and took it in with a deep breath.

"You must be Enkichi, Renzo." I nearly screamed in surprise as I whirled my head to the left only to stare into yet another pair of ghostly eyes. I gulped down a dry heave and nodded, quickly regaining whatever composure I had. The man was average in height and girth and he wore modest clothing. This long, dark hair was pulled back into a loose tie, and his expression was warm yet calculating. But nothing of his appearance compared to his eyes.

The deep pools of silver-white seemed to pierce my very soul and delve deep into my being. His calm voice snapped me out of my trance like state.

"I'm pleased to be able to greet you myself. It is quite a lucky coincidence that I passed through here at this time. I am the lord of this compound, Hyuuga, Hiashi." He bowed to me and I nearly smacked my face onto the floor bowing deeply back to him. He chuckled and simply began to walk away before abruptly stopping and turning back around. "Please excuse my absent mindedness; it seems I've forgotten to show you where you will live from now on." I looked down in bashful amusement. His forgetfulness was comforting, it made him seem even more human than he had already seemed.

He lead me though the main building and out a side door. I marveled at the grand design and beautiful landscaping. We passed a small garden as we walked and I could recognize and name several of the flowers it was home to. A few minutes later, we arrived at a smaller building, which was in no way less impressive than the first as far as aesthetics go.

Inside was very quaint. It smelled like a chimney-fire in wintertime. It also faintly smelled like sweat, but that didn't bother me. It reminded me of my brothers, training hard to become the pride of the Enkichi family and its' unusual bloodline. The main hallway was studded with closed doors, all accept for one towards the very end. I stood in the doorway and peeked inside.

The room looked lived in. The bed slept in and messy and clothes were strewn across the floor. A blush caught my cheeks at the sight of some nude magazines peeking back at me from under the closet door. All in all, it looked like the room of a typical teenage boy. Hiashi once again had to snap me back into reality to get my attention.

"That's my nephew's room. He's a little abrasive but I'm sure he'll warm up to you in his own way over time. Especially since you'll be occupying the room across from his own." I entered the room he had mentioned. It was small and contained a twin bed, a desk-dresser, and a sliding-door closet. It was bare, but I could spruce it up a bit.

"Thank you very much, Hiashi-sama. It is an honor to be allowed to stay with the Hyuuga family even if only for a summer." I made sure to use the exact script my father had written up for me and bowed. I had practiced it during my long journey to the village of Konohagakure and was filled with pride as I smoothly and politely executed it.

Hiashi chuckled again and put his hand on my shoulder, lifting me from my bow. "There's no need for such a formal attitude, my dear. Your father is a close friend of mine and it makes me happy to know that you'll be safe and have a good time here in Konoha. I assure you, you'll make plenty of friends and learn new things. And if you decide you really like it here, the Hyuugas can arrange for a permanent living facility for you, right here in our compound." His warm smile made me feel right at home in the unfamiliar village, and it was a relief.

When he left, I removed the backpack I had been carrying and placed it on the desk. The pack was old and worn from years of use, and had signatures and doodles on its fading fabric structure. I smiled a bit as I unzipped it and reached inside. The contents may seem odd to any normal person, but I can assure you that I am not in any was normal. The first thing I removed from my pack was a small metal case. The sight of the rectangular shape and old rusty hinges brought a sense of home to my still slightly nervous mind. It opened with little resistance to reveal a set of sketching pencils, lined up in order from lightest to darkest shade. I placed them next to the pack and unloaded my other art supplies; various paints and papers and brushes. It also contained a bright red comforter, faded red sheets, and two white pillow cases with red fire lily patterns on them

Beginning with the wall on the left of the door, I placed a rather tick brush of bright red paint to the surface and drew a straight line from the middle of the wall to the floor. After reviewing the height the line was, I nodded, content with my decision. Next I painted a horizontal brown line from the top of the red line, and circled the room until the two brown ends were connected. I thickened the brown line and then continued putting various shades and sizes of red lines from it to the floor. After I had finished and covered the walls with what I thought was a sufficient amount of color, I removed the plain white sheets from the bed and decorated it fittingly in my own bed apparel. The only thing missing was a second pillow.

I looked around the room and in the closet but there were no other pillows anywhere. Slowly I turned my head. Looking through the open doorway, I could see straight into Hiashi-sama's nephew's room. On his bed, were three pillows. I could easily walk over and just take a pillow and use it, but that would seem like thievery. However, I was very particular about my sleeping regiment, and having two pillows is almost mandatory for me. So, going against my better judgement, I walked out of my room and into the other.

His room was dimly lit, with the shades pulled down and closed, sealing away the light from the sun, which reminded me that I needed to find a place to buy some red curtains. Quietly, I slunk over to the bed and placed a hand on one of the pillows. I looked over my shoulder to make sure no one would witness my criminal act. I pulled the soft object away from the bed in one swift motion, as if it were booby-trapped. Smiling triumphantly, I turned and sauntered to the door, feeling accomplished. But just as my foot crossed the line of the wall and into the hallway, I heard a voice.

"Who are you? And what are you doing in my room?"


	2. Maturity is Learned

"Who are you? And what are you doing in my room?"

I stopped dead in my tracks and let my head whirl to face the voice. Standing with his arms crossed and a look of irritation on his face, was a boy no older than I. He had the same eyes as Hiashi-sama, but his were full of a tortured rage and suffering desperation. His face was rigid and looked aged beyond his years.

"Well? Are you mute? Or just plain stupid?" His biting words and abrasive eyes stirred an unfamiliar emotion in me. I stood up straight and turned my body to face his. I thrusted the pillow towards him, nearly hitting him in the face, but never let go of it.

"I'm Enkichi, Renzo and I'm making myself comfortable. If you have a problem with that, then you've got a stick up your ass. And who are _you_?"

His eyes widened in disbelieving shock and he took a step back. I supposed no one had ever spoken to him like that, or at least, that's what his frown told me. I was also surprised at my behavior, usually I have more control over myself, but this boy's eyes really got under my skin.

After he regained his composure and straightened up gain, he gave a tart reply.

"I'm Hyuuga, Neji. And I guess I have a _huge_ stick up my ass because I want my pillow back!"

I nearly doubled over trying to hold in my laughter. I may be a 16 year old girl, but I have the maturity of a 10 year old boy, and the fact that he 'admitted' to having a stick up his ass tickled my funny bone.

"Perhaps then, Neji, you should get it checked out, and ask to have it removed!" I smiled brightly and hugged the pillow to myself. As I turned to walk back into my own room, he caught my shoulder.

"I want my pillow back, smartass." His grip tightened and I, unfortunately, am a coward. I crumbled under his firm touch and shrunk into my room, swiftly closing the door in his face and locking it. I dressed the pillow in my case and set on the bed next to it's long lost twin. Then I heard a click.

I turned around and was face to chest with Neji. I hadn't realized just how tall he was in hallway.

"It's unwise to hide behind a locked door in the home of a ninja." He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to him, and then throwing me to the bed. I collapsed into the sheets.

And then I got a brilliant idea.

"Rape!" I screamed so loud I caused the cool-cat Hyuuga to flinch.

"What are you doing?!" he took a step towards me. "Help! Help! Ra-!" One of his hands closed over my mouth and the other pushed me down onto the bed. As he tried to calm me in my over excited state, we heard a voice from the doorway.

"Neji? What's going on her- Oh my!"

A pale girl with long, black hair stumbled into my room and stopped to stare at the scene before her. From her point of view, it must have really looked like a rape, because she fainted.

'Some help she was.' I thought bitterly as I wrenched myself free from Neji's grip. I took off running down the hallway, with both the pillows in hand, and ran out the door. I realized that running from a ninja wasn't a smart move when he seemed to appear infront of me. I swerved and ran around him, just out of reach of his grabbing hands. I ran past the small garden and towards the main building.

I'd never run so fast in my life, not even during my training.

Recklessness lead way to disaster when I turned a corner and came to an abrupt stop. I had crashed into somebody. Hard. I let out a grunt as I fell to the floor. I rubbed my head and bottom because they had absorbed most of the impact of crashing and falling, and sat up. I looked up to see a hand extended to me.

"Please milady! Allow me to help you up! Youthfulness should not be wasted by lying around on the ground!"


	3. Crazy is as Crazy Does

Sorry the last chapter was so short. I had to rush it a little bit, because I've had a lot of work to do lately, but I rewrote this chapter on a whim. The original was another short one, but I made it much better than it would have been! Thanks for reading! 3

"Please milady! Allow me to help you up! Youthfulness should not be wasted by lying around on the ground!"

The boy in front of me was… intriguing, to say the least.

His jet black hair was molded into what seemed to be an upside down bowl of hair gel and it framed the top half of his face. His eyes were as round as ping pong balls and seem to squeeze into the bridge of his upturned pixie nose. His mouth was wide and sported a silly smile that gave me a bit of comfort.

His outfit is what really made him look goofy. It was a green jump suit! It seemed to just barely hug his figure enough to make him look tall and lanky, and it accentuated his long limbs which were topped off with bandaged hands and wrists and bright orange leg warmers. Another orange garment was worn around his waste. It was a makeshift belt I suppose.

I smiled shyly and blushed as I took his hand for help getting up. It was rather embarrassing that I fell over and he didn't. It must have made me look so weak. In the few moments it took me to asses the boy in green, Neji had caught up to me, and as soon as I stood, he grabbed my shoulder and whirled me around.

"Well I hope you're ready for a beating, 'cause if I don't get my pillow back in the next three seconds, that's exactly what you're going to get." His eyes oozed boiling anger and seemed to burn holes through my face.

I lurched away from him and scurried behind the boy in green. He was much taller than Neji. I could barely see over his shoulder even when I stood on my tippy toes. The boy raised his arms up in a passive-defensive manner and smiled at the long-haired Hyuuga in his rage.

"Come now Neji-kun! Surely you cannot be mad over something as trivial as a pillow! It's youthful, yes, but a bit immature, don't you think? What would Gai-sensei think of this?" His voice was interesting too. It was soothing, yet held a permanent excited anticipation in it, like a kid just waking up for his birthday and wanting to open presents right away.

"Lee, if you haven't noticed, I really, _really_ don't care what Gai-sensei would think! If you ask me, he's just a twisted old hack!" Neji was barely able to finish his sentence before Lee landed a punch directly to his face. He flew backward landed on his back in the soft grass, but even the grass wouldn't help much with a well aimed impact like that.

"Don't you ever say that about Gai-sensei!" Lee shouted in a huffy tone, as if he'd scolded Neji this way before. Neji stood up and rubbed his jaw, opening and closing it to test if anything was broken.

From somewhere behind me, a girl giggled and said in a sickeningly sweet tone, "Well _that's_ a mature way of handling a problem, Lee." I turned slowly because, judging from her voice, she didn't seem like a threat.

Her hair was bundled high on her head in two buns, making her look somewhat like a mouse. She had a mousy face too, with a thin nose and large soft eyes. Her smile wasn't comforting like Lee's, but it wasn't unsettling either. All in all, she was very pretty.

"But Ten-Ten-chan! Did you not hear what he said?" Lee trudged over to her, looking slightly ashamed of being reprimanded by the girl. And that's when I noticed something very strange.

"Is everyone in Konohagakure tall? Or am I just short?"

Everyone diverted their attention to me. I twiddled my fingers and waited for a reply. Ten-Ten walked over to me and stood straight. I figured she wanted to see my height on her person, so I stood straight too. The top of my head came up to the bottom of her ear. Next, Lee came and stood next to me, standing even straighter than before. Once again, the top of my head barely came up to his shoulder.

They both giggled and looked at Neji, they already figure that I must come up to at least his chin. Just as they were about to test their theory, the girl from before came around the same corner I had, but in a much more graceful way. She stopped dead in her tracks and bowed deeply to Lee and Ten-Ten, stuttering a hello. Without a word from wither person, they grabbed her shoulders and pulled her next to me.

"Please stand straight Hinata, we want to check something." Ten-Ten's voice soothed the girl, Hinata, and she stood straight, but still looked a bit nervous to be around other people.

I came up to the bottom of her eyes, which must have some to a shock to her, because her eyebrows raised slightly. "Oh my! Not to be r-r-rude, but I'm the shortest person I know! At least, that was before I met you…" She hunched up a little bit and shrank back into herself, twiddling her fingers as I had done before.

"I have never felt quite as tall as I do now!" Lee laughed as he threw his arm over my shoulder and drew me in for a hug. "Allow me to introduce myself more formally! I am Rock, Lee! The youthful, and rather tall, hidden lotus of the Leaf Village!"

I giggled at his friendly antics. He was the kind of person that I like to hang around. His optimistic and fiery soul emanated pride and unwavering kindness. I hugged him back and giggled again, because my arms circled his lower chest instead of the usual neck hugs I gave. Perhaps the people of my village were just… short… because I would have to jump to hug Lee around the neck.

I puffed out my chest and let his cheery energy run through me.

"Well, youthful hidden lotus Lee, I'm Enkichi, Renzo! The sarcastic, and apparently short, hidden eyes of the Bamboo Village!"

Everyone looked a little puzzled at my self-introduction.

"Hidden eyes?" Neji joined our conversation with what looked like a peeked interest. He crossed his arms again and walked over to stand in front of me. His pale eyes examined me face for what seemed to be the first time.

"Yes. It's my family's blood-line. I wasn't trained as a ninja since childhood, like all of you, but I started training when my family discovered I had the blood-line. I'm the first female of my clan to have it." I smiled and lifted my chin with a cocky pride.

"What's your b-b-blood-line?" Hinata's small voice was full of curiosity. I turned to her and examined her face.

"My family has a strange ability, but I think it's pretty cool, if I do say so myself. We can see what others can't. Another world, in a sense. Creatures and people that belong to a different life all together. They can't see you, and you can't see them. But I can see them, and they can see me."

Everyone just stared at me.

"So… you're crazy?" Lee's voice lead way to confusion. I sighed and put my hands on my hips. "No. We're not crazy. I can summon one if you don't believe me!" Neji rolled his eyes. Ten-Ten gulped and averted eye-contact with me. Hinata stared wide-eyed in amazement. She must believe me. I turned to her and smiled. Making a series of hand signs, I placed my hands on the ground.

The space in front of me began to glow as something materialized. It's redish-orange skin was sleek and covered in a yellow striped pattern. It stood barely two feet tall, but when it finished 'becoming', as my family called it, it opened a pair of wings to reveal a span of six feet. It's round, blue eyes took in it's surroundings, and when it saw me, it let out a screech of joy.

"Everyone, meet Sekaita, my blood pet!"

"Renzo, what the hell is that?!" Ten-Ten gasped out and pointed at Sekaita with fear. Neji's arms dropped to his sides and his mouth fell open. Lee's eyes widened even more than they naturally were. And Hinata… well, she fainted… again.

I laughed out loud and held out my arm. Sekaita jumped up onto it and perched to look at everyone.

"Well… I'm not exactly sure what he is, but he's the first creature from the other world that I summoned. He's tame, so don't worry. His kind bond for life, and when I summoned him, our energy bonded, so he's mine and I'm his." I clapped my hands and Sekaita disappeared in a puff of light smoke.

"So you see? I'm not crazy!" I stuck my tongue out at Lee. He regained normality first and ran over to hug me again.

"That was amazing, Renzo-hime!" He hunched to place his cheek on mine. "Thanks Lee, I'm glad you- Hime?" I pushed him away a little bit to look him in the eye… well, more like pulled his face down to look him in the eye.

"Yes! I have decided that you are my princess, Renzo-hime! I will woo you and someday, we will be the greatest couple in Konohagakure!"

I couldn't help but giggle a bit. No one had ever had a crush on me before, so it was a good feeling, but I barely knew the guy, so it was still a little creepy. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Neji had looked away from Lee's display of affection and he was glaring at the wall of the main building. I dismissed the action and continued trying to get Lee the heck off of me.

Hinata awoke and stumbled into the building, leaving the four of us to our own activities. When I finally got Lee a good distance away from me, I turned around to see Ten-Ten and Neji sucking face and entwining bodies right there in the open area, for all wandering eyes to see.

"Holy crap!" I shrieked and jumped to cover Lee's eyes and lead him away from the scene. I stopped and let him go at the front gates. I looked at them and then looked at Lee.

"Soooo… you wanna woo me right?" He nodded vigorously. "Then get me outta this place and take me on a date." I smiled brightly as he opened the gates with little resistance. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out into the street, leading me down it to a main plaza. He let go of my hand and stepped back, holding out his arms. Behind him was a huge, peaceful town with shops and restaurants and people strolling and shopping, just simply enjoying themselves. What struck me most were the large mountain faces that stared at me from the distance. It was an amazing picture to look at, all the pieces put together like a beautiful puzzle.

"Renzo-hime, welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village!"


	4. Luck be the Boy in Black

"Renzo-hime, welcome to the Hidden Leaf Village!"

"Whoa! This place is huge! My village only has people from my clan, but yours has a whole bunch of different people!"

I scanned the crowds of people, looking for nothing in particular. But someone did catch my eye. And I seemed to catch his. The boy had extremely pale skin and a soft, yet rigid face. His eyes were like deep pools of onyx coal, drawing me in to swim in the calm, dark waters. Our eyes locked for what seemed like eternity, but I was snapped back to reality by Lee's voice.

"Do you want to get a better look at the town? There's a really good view from lady Tsunade's head!" he said happily, pointing behind him at the only female face on the mountain.

"Sure. That sounds nice." I said absently, not really listening. When I looked back to find the boy from before, he was gone. And once again Lee snapped me out of my trance, but this time, it was much more physical. Before I had a chance to protest, he had wrapped one arm around my waist and put my own over his neck. In an instant, we were high up in the air, and far from the plaza.

I gasped at the sudden launch and gripped him tighter. He was running at an incredible speed and the momentum of it allowed him to jump even higher than the average ninja. He chuckled when we stopped because I was hiding my face in his chest. He put me down slowly, allowing me to go at my own pace. When I pulled my face away from him, I was struck breathless.

The city was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The hundreds of buildings and thousands of people looked small from our place on the mountain. There was a wall surrounding it all, and though it was meant to be for protection, it added a dangerous charm to the town. There were miles of forest in every direction outside the wall, and the leaves danced in the breeze.

All my cares were nonexistent there on that mountain top. And even after we had descended and strolled the town, I was still thinking about it. It was nighttime now, and we had just finished eating dinner and a sushi place. "Would you like me to walk you home, Renzo-hime?" Lee was such a gentleman, but after spending a whole day with him, I had decided he wasn't really my type. And I'd seen the movies; a walk home meant a kiss at the door.

"No. I have to get used to walking around on my own, so I won't get lost. But thank you anyway." I smiled lightly at him and opened my arms to give him a hug. He looked dejected, like a puppy that was put outside for rough-housing. I couldn't bear to see him so sad. So, despite my better judgment, I gave him a little kiss on the cheek. He perked up immediately and waved good-bye with renewed vigor when we parted ways outside the restaurant.

I smiled to myself as I walked home, feeling accomplished that I had been able to see practically the whole town on my first day there. Not many people were out, so I figured it must be at least ten or eleven, so I stepped up my pace.

After a while, all the roads looked the same and the people were disappearing. Pretty soon, I was all alone on an unmarked road in what looked like a bad part of town.

"Crap… I have no clue where I am…" I said out loud, hoping that talking to myself would bring comfort, but it didn't. It did, however, draw the attention of a two grizzly looking men who were lazing about the road by the fence. One of the men wolf whistled as I passed. "Hey hey hey… I ain't seen you 'round here baby. You're lookin' a lil' young to be wanderin' the streets this time of night." I laughed nervously, and replied with a shaky voice, "Yeah well, I'm still getting used to the town so I had a little set-back in walking home." It was a bad idea to play nice.

"So you don't know many people in town?" another, better pronounciated man said. But his pronunciation didn't comfort me much, because he looked even more grizzly and hard than the other man. They exchanged a look and stood up slowly. "Haha yeah, I guess it wasn't such a good idea to walk around alone, huh?" I took a step back with every step they took towards me. When my back hit a wall and I turned to find myself in an ally, my heart leapt into my throat. All hope at this point was gone. I could tell by the head-ware that both men were ninjas, so I couldn't fight my way out of this predicament. I closed my eyes and pressed myself as close to the wall as possible. I heard a few grunts and thuds and opened my eyes to see a boy standing with his back to me.

He was dusting himself off and kicked a form on the ground. Only then did I realize that the two men were on the ground, pummeled to a bloody pulp. I looked back at the boy, but now he was facing me. It was the same boy from the plaza! I was still shaken up and I was unable to speak, so I just stared at him.

"Sai."

He was soft-spoken, but held a confidence in his voice.

"What?"

"Sai… my name is Sai."


	5. Strangers are Friends We Haven't Yet Met

"Sai… my name is Sai."

He took a step towards me and I pressed into the wall again. I don't know why I was scared. He was there to help me… right?

"I'm Enkichi, Renzo." He held my face up by my chin and looked me in the eye. "Lee-bug calls you Renzo-hime."

I was totally freaked out at this point.

"How do you know that?" I slapped his hand away and pushed him back. His expression remained unchanged. His answer was cool and calm and it sent shivers down my spine.

"I know that because I've been watching you."

I whimpered when he closed the space between us once again. He exerted his dominance and I submitted to it. I didn't try to push him away this time. I was still skeptical about that fact that he was stalking me, but his demeanor calmed me, and made me feel safe. He's a safe person.

"I know that it's not normal to watch people like I do, but it is how I operate. And I've already come up with a nickname for you. The books all say that getting close to people is easier when they have a nickname."

I was really confused now. What on earth was this boy talking about?

"I'm going to call you Precious." He tilted his head and forced a practiced smile. I was slowly becoming used to his odd presence.

"Could you help me find the Hyuuga compound? And why Precious?" I really was curious, and I figured we could use something to talk about while we walked. He turned and began walking down the road and I had to jog a bit to catch up. He was about as tall as Neji, so I had to look up to examine him as he spoke.

"You seem like the kind of person who needs to be protected. A person people want to protect. Something people want to protect is often precious to them. So I'm going to call you Precious." His logic was okay in my mind. But I was puzzled about the people wanting to protect me thing. Didn't two guys just try to _hurt_ me?

I dismissed the thought and we walked the rest of the way in silence. When we arrived at the compound, the guards weren't there.

"It must be locked then…" I frowned, and judged the height of the wall. There was no way I could jump that. Just as I let out an exasperated sigh, I felt a pair of cold arms scoop me up. I was in the air again, but this time, I was only about twenty feet up. We landed without a sound. Sai put me down and I turned and bowed. "Thank you." I smiled nervously and straightened up. His cold lips were suddenly on my cheek. There was a tingly feeling in my stomach. I looked at him in questioning disbelief.

"Friendship's kiss. Like the one you gave Lee-bug." He flashed that fake smile again and then was gone. I looked around, confused about why he had taken such a fast leave, but decided that pondering it would give me a headache.

I walked through the main building and past the garden and training ground. I reached my building and let out a relaxed sigh when I stepped inside. I quietly made my way down the main hall and stopped to look at the light coming from under Neji's doorway. I heard moaning and a bed creaking. I blushed and entered my room and closed the door. I was so tired that I didn't even bother changing into PJs or brushing my teeth.

I was asleep before my head even hit the pillow.

I awoke at a late hour and changed into some clean clothes. I skipped breakfast, and walked around the compound, finally getting a chance to explore my new home in peace.

"You came back late last night." I turned around so fast that I nearly broke my neck when it whirled to catch up to my head. Neji was standing with a hand on his hip and an eyebrow raised. I just gave him a confused and surprised look.

He chuckled and crossed his arms. "You're not as quiet as you think you are."

I smirked and crossed my arms like his. "Well you and Ten-Ten aren't as quiet as _you_ think _you_ are!" He flinched and lost some of the edge in his eyes. For an instant, I had broken his control. But he regained himself and pretended that he didn't even hear me.

"So why were you out so late?" He stared me directly in the eyes.

"Lee and I had a fun time. But it wasn't as fun as the time you spent with Ten-Ten." This time he let it go. But he didn't leave. I sat down in the grass and closed my eyes. Listening to the sounds of nature and smelling the flowers from the garden. I heard a rustling in the grass beside me and I looked to me left. Neji was lying next to me, staring at the sky. I laid down too and looked at the clouds.

We just laid there for a long while. Finally I looked over at him. His eyes were closed, but I knew he was awake. I still wanted to poke fun at him though.

"I bet you're tired… what with all that fun you had late last night." He grumbled under his breath and sat up.

"You're like an annoying little sister." He looked down at me and leaned back on his arms.

"Well lucky me, that was exactly the role I was auditioning for." I grinned up at him and even as the sun glared into my eyes, I could see the smirk on his face.

It was the perfect afternoon for a friendly chat. The breeze was cool and soft and the birds were chirping jolly melodies. One landed in the garden and pecked at the rich soil. Its feathers were a shiny golden-brown and it was so small it could have fit in the palm of my hand. What struck me most about the creature were its black eyes.

My thoughts immediately traveled to last night's events, and more prominently, to Sai. His eyes were so deep and mysterious. People say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, but his windows must have had the blinds drawn, because I could only see what he allowed me to see. And it wasn't much.

But there was still something about him that made my skin tingle like it had when his cold skin touched mine. I wanted to know more about him.

"So… you've lived in Konoha all your life, right?" I tried to sound as casual as possible. "Yes." His reply was short, but it opened up my next line, "Do you know a lot of the people here?" once again, I tried to sound like I was just making polite conversation. "One usually does when they've lived in one place for their whole life." "Do you know a boy called Sai?"

There was a silence as the bird flew away and left a lonely feather lying in the garden.

"Why do you want to know?" I damned his mind for being suspicious. I lied "Lee talked about lots of people yesterday, and that name struck me most. So do you know him?" He seemed to not want to tell me, but he did anyway. "Yeah, I know him. He's a freak. And he reminds me of someone that I think most of my friends would rather forget."

My heart sunk a little bit at the harsh way he spoke, but I chalked it up to his personality. Neji wasn't exactly one to make good first impressions. I would know.

We stayed in the garden for another hour before Ten-Ten came and whisked Neji away to the confines of his room. I shivered a bit at the thought of what they might be doing there. My virgin mind couldn't take the mental pictures.

I decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to take a walk around the town. It was daylight after all, so there was little chance of some creepers trying to jump me like last night. And there was also a chance I would see Sai.

I smiled at the guards when they opened the gate to let me out, and this time, I made it a point to ask them what time they were going to close and lock the gates for the night. The thinner man, Agotsu, told me 12:00 pm, and the bulkier man, Rendan, said 11:00 pm. I figured I'd come back at 10:30 just in case.

It was much easier to navigate the streets when I could actually see where I was going. I even recognized the road where the men were, and in the daylight, it didn't look as dingy as before. I found the sushi place that Lee took me to and went inside. It was a pretty busy place, but I was able to find an empty table. I ordered hot tea and a plate of spicy tuna rolls. The waitress was a ditsy looking girl with long blonde hair and dark brown eyes. Her voice was like silk and I almost forgot how to order when she spoke. But when my food got to the table I was starving. Forgoing breakfast wasn't a very smart move.

To the left of me was a noisy table of people, all shoving each other and yelling over each other's conversations.

One boy was much louder than the whole group and I had to giggle at his antics. He was blonde and wearing a bright orange suit and he was practically standing on the table trying to take his headband back from a pink haired girl in a pink shirt and sport skirt. She was obviously annoyed by him. But a large boy with light brown hair was shoving food in his face and egging blondy on. There was a blonde girl too, but she was more interested in shamelessly flirting with their waiter. Lastly there was a dark haired boy in a long sleeved mesh shirt who was just staring out the window.

The blonde boy must have glanced over at me because the next thing I knew, he was standing in front of me with his hands on his hips yelling "What are _you_ looking at?!" The pink haired girl threw a plate at the back of his head and he toppled to the floor. "Naruto! Don't be rude! Gosh you're such a pain in the kunai!"

I tried to hold in my laughter as he jumped to his knees and whimpered "But Sakuraaaaa! She was staring at us like we were freaks!" he pointed at me with a condemning finger. "She was probably just staring at _you_ because you _are _a freak!"

While the two of them argued, the big boy spoke up. "Sorry about them, they always fight like this." He was munching on what looked like a seaweed roll as he talked. "By the way, I'm Chouji, the other girl over there is Ino, and this is Shikamaru." He threw his thumb over his shoulder to point at the staring boy.

"What? What do you need Chouji?" Chouji must have snapped him out of a daydream. "Nothing, I was just introducing you to my pretty knew friend." I smiled at his compliment. "Well it's nice to meet you Chouji and Shikamaru! My name is Renzo." The waitress arrived with my food and I thanked her, taking a sip of my tea.

"Wait, you're Enkichi, Renzo?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow, and I raised an eyebrow right back. "How do you know my family name?" I was thinking that he might be a stalker like Sai. "I met up with Lee late last night and he wouldn't stop talking about a girl he met yesterday: you." I rolled my eyes and took another sip.

Just as I picked up a roll and placed it in my mouth, I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

"Hello Precious."

I whirled around to face Sai as he put his hand on my shoulder. "Sai! What are you doing here?" small pieces of tuna were flying from my mouth as I spoke so I swallowed the whole roll without properly chewing. He smiled his plastic smile and sat across from me at my table. "I like to spend time here. It gives me a chance to observe people in a more social aspect."

"Hey Sai! Long time, no see! I've missed you!" Ino practically pushed her captive waiter out of the way to get to the chair next to Sai. She sat in it and then scooted it closer to him and placed her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. "I've missed you too, Gorgeous."

My stomach twisted when I heard her nickname.

My uneasiness must have been noticeable because Naruto piped up and sat down next to me. "What's wrong Renzo? Are the tuna rolls bad?" I regained my composure and giggled. "No, they're fine, but you can have some if you want." Half my food was gone in a flash. Both Chouji and Naruto had dug into my plate at my offer.

I returned my attention to Sai when he got up and sat in the chair next to me instead of across from me. And like Ino had done to him, he moved his chair closer to mine. Her piercing glare made me a bit more than nervous, but I shook it off and smiled at Sai.

"I've also missed you, Precious." He mimicked Ino's body language from before and put his face in his hands and his elbows up. I could feel her rage seeping through her skin and oozing onto the floor. "Well it's not like it's been a long time Sai, you were with me last night."

"What were you doing with her last night?" Ino asked almost immediately. "I became her prince charming and swept her off her feet with a daring rescue." I blushed at his choice of words, but pushed it back down so I wouldn't draw anymore hatred from Ino, if that were even possible at this point.

"Do you even know what you're saying? The poor girl must feel molested, what with the way you're treating her like she's yours." Shikamaru spoke up from the other table. "How does being her prince charming make her mine?" He seemed genuinely puzzled. "You wouldn't get it Sai."

"But I'm sure he was getting some last night!" Naruto winked and elbowed me in the side. I was unable to fight my blush this time as it took over my face and gave it a rosy tint. Sai put his arm over my shoulder and pulled me away from Naruto, "I do believe that _you_ are making her feel more molested than I have."

Everyone at the table laughed and then there was an akward silence.

"So… I'm going to get going now." I finished my tea and stood up. "It was nice meeting you all!" Sai stood up next to me. "I'll accompany you to wherever you're going." He smiled at me and then patted Ino on the head. She swooned over him and gave him a big sloppy kiss on the cheek. I winced. "Good bye, Saiii! See you soon!" She dragged out his name in a sing-song tone and waved her fingers at him.

His plastic smile dropped a bit. He mustn't have liked the idea of seeing her again at all. We walked out of the restaurant and walked down the road a bit before either of use spoke. But then Sai stopped walking and grabbed my arm. I turned to look at his mischievous smile.

"Want to go somewhere fun?"


	6. Some Doors are Better Left Closed

"Want to go somewhere fun?"

I was skeptical for a moment. This boy that I barely knew wanted me to go somewhere with him, and chances are, no one will know how to find me if I mysteriously vanish. Taking a deep breath I ran through every possible scenario of what could happen.

"Sure," I tried to play it cool by shrugging, "Why not?"

But I'm sure my eyes told just how nervous I really was.

He smiled his coy, rehearsed smile and slipped his arm around my waist. "Don't worry. You're going to have fun, I promise." He used his leverage on my body to make me walk along side him. We solicited many stares from the citizens passing us by. Clearly this level of closeness between Sai and a female was alien to them, but most of them dismissed it and pretended they didn't care or weren't intrigued.

After a minute or two of walking, we were at the edge of the woods. I raised an eyebrow at this. "Um… this is just a bunch of-" "Shhh…"

He cut me off and unwound his arm from me. He took a few steps forward and scoped the layout before him. In seconds, it had changed. Where there were once trees stood a small stone doorway. He walked up to it and knocked a very precise knock, and it opened to reveal a long passage way. He turned to me and extended his hand.

"You might want to hold on. It's pretty dark."

I gulped and took his hand. He slowly moved forward, coaxing me into the darkness. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, it slammed shut. I was starting to regret agreeing to tag along.

- Ino's POV

I trailed that ho and my Sai from the restaurant and they stopped in the middle of the street. He had asked her something, but I couldn't hear the exchange of words. I was astonished when he snaked his arm around her and pulled her close to him. He was mine, and here this small, ugly girl was, seducing him with her obviously fake innocence. I shook off my jealousy and continued to sneak after them, jumping from rooftop to rooftop to keep out of sight.

Finally they stopped. But I was confused. All that was there was a bunch of trees and then the training ground behind that. I heard a rustling on the rooftop behind me. I turned just in time to see Sai as he punched me in the gut. I let out a noiseless scream and he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Just before all around me was phased out, I heard a loud slam of what sounded like a stone door. Then there was darkness.

- Renzo's POV

I was surprised when we entered through a second doorway. My eyes were attacked by the beating of strobe lights and my ears were pounced on by loud music. It seemed like some sort of club, but I wasn't exactly sure. Nobody was dancing. There were a few people inside but they were all just sitting at tables, passing around pipes. Sai was greeted with hellos and nods, but I was met with black stares and snarls. One man stood up from his table and staggered over to me. He hung his arm over my neck and whispered obscenities into my ear and I jerked away from him and backed myself into the wall. Sai chuckled and slipped his arm around me again. Then man looked at Sai and then at me, then disappeared back to his table. I buried my face into Sai's chest and willed myself not to cry. I didn't want to look like a fool.

Sai pulled my face upward with a finger under my chin and smirked at me. "You're not afraid yet, little girl?" My mouth fell open. He was taunting me. I couldn't stop my eyes from tearing up and he chuckled again. "You don't need to be afraid, Precious. I'll show you a way to never be afraid again."

He let go of me and sauntered over to a table and chatted with some of the people there. They in turn, handed him a pipe.

I may be a novice at ninja life, but I know bad situations when I see them.

He returned to me and took a puff from the slender mouth protruding from a smoky bulb. He held his breath for a moment and then let it free with an exhalation of smoke. I coughed from the musty smelling fog, and pushed away the bulb when he handed it to me. He chuckled again, but this time, it was slow and deliberate.

"You want to be a ninja, right?" I looked up at him, and was shocked to see a real smile on his face. But it wasn't a friendly or mischievous smile. It was a deadly smile.

I nodded, too afraid to do anything else.

"Then take a breath." He placed the mouth of the pipe at my lips and covered my nose. I had to breathe the thick smoke if I wanted to breathe at all, so I did. My senses seemed to melt inside of me, and my vision became blurry.

His voice faded away but I could hear him from what seemed like a distance.

"All the elites love the stuff. You'll be elite in no time."

Just before I fell into darkness, my eyes locked with a man's from across the dim room. But only one eye was focused on me, the other was covered by his head band, and his face was covered by a mask. I etched him into my memory and then I gave into the dark and was lost in a wave of senselessness.


	7. Something Wicked, This Way Comes

Just before I fell into darkness, my eyes locked with a man's from across the dim room. But only one eye was focused on me, the other was covered by his head band, and his face was covered by a mask. I etched him into my memory and then I gave into the dark and was lost in a wave of senselessness.

I awoke in my bed, covered to my chin by my soft, familiar sheets. I was stretching when a wave of what had happened last night knocked me into reality. I folded into myself and simply stared at the wall. He showed me a good time, that's for sure. And I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I had an aching need for something.

I was ashamed and confused. I laid in bed for a while, soaking in the silence. I don't know how long it was that I was there, but I eventually heard a knock at the door. I ignored it and continued to stare lifelessly at the wall before me. Again, there was a knock on my door, louder this time. A small voice accompanied it shortly after.

"Renzo-san? Are you okay? I know you got home late last night, but it's one in the afternoon." Hinata was so kind. She didn't question me when I opened the door, disheveled and with red eyes. She ignored my breath, which smelled like the smog from the night before and like strong liquor, and she had brought me a lunch, seeing as I had slept through breakfast. I smiled a dry smile and sat with her in the hallway as we ate our lunches in silence. Neji walked by us a few times, shooting odd glances at me and rolling his eyes. He must know what I've done, or maybe he just assumes I'm an emotional mess all the time.

Whatever the case, he never stopped to confirm his suspicions or ask what was wrong. He only came to get some things for a mission he was going on. I finished my lunch and returned to my room. I dressed myself and told Hinata that I was going to go out and that I didn't know when I was going to get back. She nodded and told me she was going out too. I walked through the compound, passing the garden and the extravagant main building. Upon exiting the gate, I stopped and looked around. I didn't want to run into Sai. I didn't want to go with him again.

The streets weren't as busy as they had been yesterday, but there were still a lot of people. I lumbered along with my hands in my pockets and my eyes cast downwards. I came to the spot where the secret door had been and hurried past it. Something in me stirred as I thought of last night. A need. A need for something right this moment. I didn't know what I needed, but I needed it.

Not long after my innards began to twist in protest of passing the place, I came along a training field. There were a few people far off in the distance, throwing things like kunai and shuriken at some logs. I squinted and cracked a small smile when I recognized one of the people.

"Hinata!" I jogged over to them and she turned and flashed her shy smile at me. "Oh! Renzo-san! I didn't exp-pect to see you here!" We embraced in a gentle hello. "How did you get here so fast? I left before you even finished your lunch!" she smiled shyly at my question. "I don't like being late for practice… but I guess it wouldn't have mattered today, Kurenai-sensei is sick and can't be with us today." It was at this mentioning that I remembered there were other people with her. I looked over her shoulder and gave them each a once over.

One was slouching in the shade of the log target and hid his eyes and face behind a hood and a pair of shades. The other had red markings on his face and was sitting criss-crossed petting a gigantic dog that was lying at his side. The boy with the dog stood and stretched out his hand.

"Hi there! I'm Kiba and this big fellow right here is my buddy Akamaru! What's your name?" I took his hand and smiled at him. "I'm Enkichi Renzo. Pleased to meet you!" The other never said a word but looked up and seemed to examine me through his dark lenses.

Kiba rolled his eyes and smiled. "That's Shino. He's not much for conversation, but he's a good listener." Shino cocked his head a bit and nodded. I smiled at him… and assumed he smiled back, I couldn't really tell because his mouth was covered. We all stood for a moment, taking in each other's presences when I felt a small tickle on my exposed leg: I had decided to wear shorts today. I tried to brush it off, but it came back. When I looked down, I screamed. There was a small cockroach on my leg and it was inching its way up my body.

I leapt around and squealed and flung my hands in the air. "Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off! GET! IT! OFF!" As I was going nuts in the field, I heard a series of laughs and giggles. I stopped hopping about and turned to see Kiba rolling on the ground howling with laughter, Hinata was giggling and turning red from lack of air, and even Shino cracked a smile.

I pouted and sat on the grass away from them. Hinata was the first to stop laughing. She walked over quietly and placed her hand on my shoulder. "I'm s-sorry Renzo-san. We didn't mean to make you mad. That was Shino's bug, it would never hurt you." I kept my blank stare away from her. 'Shino's bug? Ugh, I don't even want to know.' I let it go and sighed. "I can't stay mad at you Hinata." I grinned from ear to ear. "But I can be peeved with you guys for a while…" I glared at Kiba and then at Shino.

SHA-THUNK

I whirled my head around to look at the target log. There was a Large Kunai in it but no one around who could have thrown it… or so it seemed.

"Boo."

I screamed and flung my hands around and came in contact with someone's face. A loud pained noise ensued and was followed by a thud on the ground. I opened my eyes and looked around. Kiba was about to burst out laughing again and Shino was chuckling. Hinata however, was frozen and red-faced. "… Hinata, are you ok?"

She fainted.

"What the hell was that for?!" I jumped and turned around and my eyes locked with a pair of fiery blue ones.

"… Naruto?" I looked puzzlingly at him. And then it clicked. "You threw the kunai!" "You slapped me!" "You said boo!" "You SLAPPED me!" "AAAARGH!" "AAAARGH!"

Kiba lost it and was on the ground again. Shino chuckled more and adjusted his glasses. Naruto continued to rage and rant. I put my face in my hand and sighed.

"Naruto, you're an idiot. " Sakura said as a matter-of-factly as she walked into the scene and sat by Hinata, who was still passed out in the grass. I went to her and began fanning her face as Naruto and Sakura continued bickering. As I fanned, something inside me was calling out for my attention.

"Hello, Precious."

My insides chilled and a shiver ran down my spine. I was afraid to turn around, but I found myself unable to stop myself. His eyes searched in mine for something. I guess he found what he was looking for because that fake smile rose on his lips and he looked over at Naruto. "Why did you scare my Precious, Naruto-kun?" Naruto muttered something about annoying douche bags under his breath, and answered "Because I could!"

Sai was displeased with this answer but he let it go.

"Well, it's nice to see my team making new friends." A suave voice came from nowhere and startled me. For some reason, I looked to Sai for comfort, searching for his plastic smile. I found it and some relief flooded into me.

Naruto and Sakura looked up into a tree and shouted, "You're late, Kakashi-sensei!"

I followed their eyes and was met with another shiver. The man from the club was staring me directly in the eyes again. His silver hair shuffled a bit in the breeze as he jumped down from a tree branch and landed a few feet away from me. I scooted towards Sai until my arm brushed his. He snaked his arm around me waist and put his chin on my head.

Sakura and Naruto's looks of sheer disbelief made me uncomfortable. Sakura's mouth fell open in silent shock as she looked at me as if to say, 'You and Sai are a thing?' And Naruto's snarl in Sai's direction seemed to ask, 'How did that douche bag get a cutie like her?' I blushed a bit from the attention but the one-eyed man, Kakashi, drew it away when he spoke again.

"Shino, Kurenai sent me to train your team for today, so I figured, 'Hey, why not train you with me team?'" His eye curved into a smile.

I felt a bit out of place. There were two teams around me who were supposed to be training, and here I was, turning it into a 'get to know you picnic'. I untangled myself from Sai's grip and bowed to Kakashi-sensei.

"Um, hi, I'm Enkichi, Renzo. It was nice to kind of meet you. I'm going to go now, bye everyone!" Everybody muttered goodbye and started to stretch for practice. But as I turned to walk away, someone grabbed my arm twisted me around. My forehead was met by Sai's soft lips and his hand traveled down my arm and into my own. He slipped something into my fingers. Kakashi seemed to notice. His eyes flicked toward my hand and then to my eyes. Then he looked away, a self-shame flooding into his eyes. It confused my but I shook it off and smiled shyly at Sai.

As I walked away I could hear Naruto and Sai start to bicker about something and I couldn't help but smile.

But my smiled faded when I remembered there was something in my hand. My grip on it tightened and I walked back to the Hyuuga compound with my eyes glued to the ground in front of me.

As I walked to my room, I heard someone's footsteps beside me.

"My mission got canceled and I've got nothing to do… Want to hang out?"


	8. Keep Close Your Dirty Little Secrets

"My mission got canceled and I've got nothing to do… Want to hang out?"

I tried to play it cool but my stomach flip flopped when I heard his voice. He made me feel so tingly and I don't even know why. When I turned to look at him, his arms were crossed and he was leaning on the door post of his room. 'He looks so cool like that…' I mentally slapped myself for thinking that about another girl's man.

'Wait, slow down! Did you just call Neji a man?!'

I blinked away the mental tornado that just blew through my head and smirked at him. "You're not going out with Ten-Ten?" His eyes flashed an unreadable emotion and he simply smirked back into mine.

"Nah. She's not much of the going out type, if you catch my drift." I did catch his drift. I blushed and looked at the floor, unable to think of a quip to use against him. He shifted positions and chuckled, now standing up with his hands in his pockets. Without lifting my head I shifted my eyes to look at him. He was looking directly back at me and it made my blush deepen in its rosy color.

"I could show you Konohagakure Lake if you'd like."

I lifted my head and he was smiling now. I grinned back at him and grabbed his wrist, pulling him to the door. "That sounds great!"

In my enthusiasm, I had forgotten about the step just outside the door of our building. Upon thrusting my body through the door, I fell forward. There was a moment of nothingness as strong arms wrapped around my waist and caught me, pulling me back upright. My back brushed against hard, toned muscle through our shirts and it sent a jolt of heat through my body. Neither of us made a sound as we stood there for what seemed like forever. It was like nothing else mattered but this single moment.

And then suddenly… it vanished.

He released me and stepped away as if I had a disease. The heat left my body and I was left dazed. I looked back at Neji and he was looking off at some trees. I just started walking away, not saying a word. When I got the main gate, Neji was beside me and then he led the way to the lake.

The walk was silent, but I couldn't stop myself from gasping at the huge, beautiful mass of water before me. The sunlight sparkled on the surface of dancing silver waves and beckoned me to its white tipped edge. The water was cold and refreshing on my feet. It soaked through my shoes and enveloped me with a calm feeling.

And then I was immersed. I shot upright at the sudden contact of the cold water. I screamed and whirled around at my attacker. Neji stood, arms crossed with a mischievous smirk plastered on his smug face. I knew he pushed me. There was no one else around who could have done it. So I did the only logical thing to do in a situation like this.

I retaliated.

I leapt at him, managing to lock my arms around his neck and knock him down. He scrambled beneath me but it was hard to get up seeing as we were on slick sand and pebbles. I wrapped my legs around his abdomen until my ankles were locked at his bellybutton and rolled both of us into the water.

The cold water was welcoming this time because my captive was thrashing wildly in my grip. He finally got loose and stood in the knee deep water, soaked to the bone. He turned and glared at me before pouncing on me with a smirk and pushing me deeper into the lake. Before long, my feet couldn't touch the ground and I was swimming away from him as he water jogged after me.

Our little fracas attracted the attention of an old couple sitting on the beach, enjoying the day. The woman smiled at us and turned to her husband and whispered something into his ear. He cracked a smile and reached for her hand. I had stopped swimming to watch them at this point. He held her hand and caressed her face before kissing her softly. Her face lit up and a rosy tint covered her cheeks.

Neji had also stopped messing around and looked back and forth between me and the couple, puzzled. "What's so funny?" He asked as he swam next to me and nudged my arm. I hadn't realized that a large grin had taken over my face. I looked at him and then leaned back. I floated on my back and looked to the sky before answering.

"I want to be like that when I'm old… I want to be in love with my husband and know that he loves me."

Neji floated up next to me. "You know… if you're going to be a ninja, you're going to have to abandon that dream." I turned my head to the side and looked at his profile as he stared at the clouds. "Ninja aren't supposed to think such silly thoughts. They must live only for the purpose of completing missions."

His eyes were so sad. He had such a great pain locked away in his heart and his eyes were the only way anyone would ever know it.

"I don't believe that." He turned his head and looked me in the eye as I spoke. "I believe that if you have the right amount of balance you can live as a ninja and still find time to live the life you want."

As we drifted towards the middle of the lake, staring deep into each other's eyes, we inverted and got closer.

He was close enough that I could hear him whisper "You silly naive girl… you have no idea what you do to me…" As the space between us closed, his breath caressed my face and tantalized my sense.

Our lips met in a moment of perfect bliss.

His lips were sweet and experienced, molding mine to fit into them. As the moment lengthened, so did the intensity of our kiss.

His tongue brushed against my lips, asking for permission. I opened mine hesitantly. He explored my mouth before tickling my own tongue with his. His arms found their way around my waist and my hands rested on his shoulders.

Those few minutes lasted a lifetime before we separated for air.

* * *

My clothes were still dripping wet by the time I got back to the compound and into my room. I peeled the clinging fabrics from my body and put on a sweat suit. When I put my wet shorts into the hamper something fell out of my pocket.

It was the thing Sai gave me.

I picked it up gingerly, not wanting to break what seemed to be a small plastic baggie. There was white powder inside, but it was undamaged by the water. I opened it and poured some of the powder into my hand and examined it.

It was the same powder Sai had in the bulb last night. Suddenly the back of my throat was dry with that aching need once again. But this time, I knew what I needed. I searched frantically for something to light it with, but finding none, I cursed the heavens.

I put the substance back in the baggie and taped it to the bottom of my bed, hoping no one would find it there. It was getting dark out and I didn't know where I would find Sai so I sighed and sat on my bed, trying to ignore the need. It was scratching at my insides like a ravenous animal but I pushed it back and was able to fall asleep.

I would find Sai in the morning.

Day light broke far before my eyes opened. When I sat up and looked at the clock it read 11:00am. I stood and searched my closet for some shorts and a shirt. When I was dressed I ate an apple and walked through the village. Surely if I walked long enough I would find Sai… right? I was 2:00 o'clock before I found anyone familiar.

Shikamaru was lying on a bench, staring up at the sky. His eyes searched the clouds for what seemed like the meaning of life. I stood by him for a moment before he spoke. " How are you liking Konoha so far?"

I laid down on the ground next to the bench despite the questioning stares from people passing us by and stared into the sky with him. "So far, it's pretty good."

"That's good." The rest of the time I spent with him was silent. About an hour had passed before I noticed he had fallen asleep. I sighed and giggled. Liked laying there like that: without a care in the world. I would resume my search for my black eyed 'Prince Charming' later.

Another hour passed before Shikamaru woke. He sat up and looked off to his right. I too craned my neck to look in that direction after he did. There was a man standing before us, clothed in a long tan robe and a Kage's hat. I quickly stood up and bowed to him. He was the KazeKage. Shikamaru smiled at him and stood.

"Right on time." He held out his hand and was greeted with a firm handshake from a pale hand. The KazeKage then removed his hat, revealing fiery red hair.

I had never seen hair like that so I couldn't help but stare. His aqua eyes were rimmed with black and they bled sadness as well as happiness. But being the loud mouth I was, I couldn't help but vocalize something else I noticed.

"Where are your eyebrows?" I slapped my own hand over my mouth after I had spoken and Shikamaru just looked at me like I was an idiot. The KazeKage's face never changed but he was now looking directly at me.

"… I don't know." His voice was deep and quiet. Shikamaru sighed and looked at the red headed Kage.

"Gaara, this is Enkichi, Renzo. She's knew here." I smiled at Gaara and held out my hand. "Pleased to meet you Gaara-sama!"

He shook my hand hesitantly, as though I would infect him with stupid. Shikamaru looked up suddenly. There was a hawk cawing in the air and he looked back and forth between me and Gaara.

"Um, well, this is unexpected. I have to go Gaara, I'm sorry. Renzo, will you please escort him to where ever he needs to go? Thanks!" And he was gone in a puff of smoke.

There was a long period of silence as Gaara and I stared at each other.

"Uhhhh… I don't really know my way around this village very well…" "I figured as much."

He turned and began walking off in the opposite direction and, feeling the need to fulfill Shikamaru's request, I 'escorted' him to wherever he was going.

Before long we arrived at an apartment complex and he just stood there, looking up at the rooms. I stood next to him, carefully eyeing him.

There was a loud crash from the building and then the sound of a slamming door.

"Gaara!" Naruto jumped from the third story balcony and landed at Gaara's feet. And then he did something unexpected.

He pulled The KazeKage close and kissed him.


	9. Wants are Not Always Needs

He pulled The KazeKage close and kissed him.

I was unable to think clearly as I watched the two indulge in a heated, yet tender kiss. Naruto pulled away slowly, looking Gaara in the eyes and smiling. The red-head smiled back and took hold of the bubbly blonde's hand. They then turned to me and Naruto grinned ear to ear.

"Well… that was unexpected…" I said, just staring at Gaara. He blushed a bit, but it looked very noticeable on his pale face. After a minute or two of awkward silence I clapped my hands together and couldn't help myself from skipping forward and hugging Naruto.

"Oh this is so exciting! I knew there was a reason I liked you!" I cooed, pulling his head down and patting his head. "Liked me? You stared at me like I was a freak!" he giggled, giving me a noogie as he broke free of my near choke-hold.

Gaara stayed still but leaned away from our affectionate fight. He sighed and pretended like he didn't know us, though passer-bys could easily tell he was part of the mayhem. Finally Naruto let me go and I grabbed onto Gaara's arm, hugging it.

He looked at me strangely but didn't pull away. I assumed that meant he liked me, so I smiled at him. Then I linked my other arm with Naruto and began walking with the two stuck in my grip. Everyone in town seemed to know about the couple because they gave sly looks and smirks as we passed. Naruto relished in all the attention and Gaara didn't seem to care whether or not people looked at them. I felt like a midget around most boys, but these two weren't very tall. They couldn't have been taller than Ten-Ten and Hinata.

As I walked along, listening to Naruto and Gaara catch up on lost time, I began to feel the need again. I swallowed the dry lump in my throat and tried not to seem off, but of course, Naruto noticed. He stopped walking and let go of my arm. He stood in front of me and leaned down just a bit to line his face up with mine.

"Are you okay, Renzo? You don't look too good…" He mumbled, placing his palm on my forehead. "

"Cause that's totally what every girl wants to hear." I sighed and swatted his hand away. He stuck his tongue out at me and grabbed Gaara's hand.

"Maybe we should take her home." Gaara said softly, watching me intently as my face began to lose color and my knees wobbled. Naruto thought for a moment and nodded. "You live with the Hyuuga's right?" the blonde asked. I nodded and held my head in my heads. I was getting more and more woozy as time went by.

Naruto picked me up and held me gently as he sped through the village, leaping from rooftop to rooftop with the KazeKage at his heels. When we reached the compound, Naruto sauntered in despite the guards giving him funny looks and stopped when he got to the garden.

"… Where is your room?" He asked, embarrassed but still smiling. I giggled and pointed him in the right direction. When we got to my room he pulled back the covers, plopped me on my bed, and tucked me in. I laid there for a moment like 'wtf?' before he sat on the bed.

Gaara looked around my room and his eyes came to rest on my backpack. He stared at it for a moment before walking over to the desk and putting his hand on it. "I had a backpack like this one when I was little…" He said quietly. I grinned and asked him to bring it to me. When he placed it on my lap I opened it and pulled out a book.

It was my sketchbook. I flipped through the pages and held it out to Naruto when I found a particular page. It was a very old drawing I had done when I was young and it was a pair of stick figures holding hands.

The funny part about it was that the figures were a red head and a blonde. He grinned and showed it to Gaara who cracked a small smile. We all laughed and I put the book back in my bag.

Naruto stood up and stretched. He took my bag and put it back on the desk and looked to Gaara. "Don't you have somewhere to be?" He asked, making Gaara's eye twitch.

"Oh. That's right, I had a meeting with Tsunade-sama…" He said in a blank tone of voice. Naruto nodded and turned to give me a knuckle bump. They then said their goodbyes and left.

I sat up in bed for a while but my back started to hurt and the wooziness crept back into my body. I shivered though I was covered up to my chin.

It was then that he spoke.

"I was starting to wonder if they would ever leave." Sai said as he stepped out of my closet. I jumped upright and stared at him, unable to scream because of my dry throat. After a moment, he flashed his plastic smile and walked over to my bed.

"How did you get in here?" I asked quietly, as though we were being watched. His smile grew twisted as he pulled a small bulb from his kunai bag. My eyes were glued to it like a bug on fly paper. I slowly got out of my bed and reached under it, searching for the small baggie he had given me the day before. When I found it, I tore it from its tape chains and fumbled to open it.

Sai chuckled as he plucked the baggie from my fingers and opened it and poured it into the bulb with precision. He then pulled a thin tube from his bag and attached it to the bulb. Lastly he pulled out a lighter and held it under the glass as he flicked it on.

I watched hungrily as the powder slowly changed; first from powder to mush, then from mush to smoke. He lightly placed the tube in his lips and puffed the fog into his lungs, holding it there for a few seconds before letting it escape. He then handed the little mechanism to me. I mimicked his actions and placed the tube at my mouth. I puffed less gracefully than he and coughed when the smoke filled my lungs, but I could feel my uneasiness disappear.

Then I fell into the world of darkness that I had lost myself to the first time, but this time, I was wide awake.


	10. Conflicts of the Mind are Solved Alone

_Then I fell into the world of darkness that I had lost myself to the first time, but this time, I was wide awake._

The sun's rays teased my dilated pupils as I lay on my bed, staring out the window at the clouds. It was sunset and Sai and I were in my room; stoned. We had been sitting there for hours, talking.

Time seems to pass slower when reality is warped. After a long time of silence, Sai sat up on the floor. I turned my head from the window to look at him. He looked back at me and smiled. I smiled back at him and assumed my smile looked just as fake as his.

The whole world seems fake in this state of mind. I couldn't suppress a giggle when Sai stood up and wobbled a bit. He regained his balance quickly and walked over to the bed.

I gazed up at him and he stared down at me. His eyes wandered from my eyes to my neck and then down my body. It was odd. Not odd in a bad way, but rather in a good way.

I suppose that's what made it so odd in the first place.

His smiled slowly faded back into just a straight line and his lips looked wet and silky. I sat up on the bed and just stared at them. They parted slightly, as though he were going to say something, but then closed again.

I couldn't stop myself from reaching up and putting my hand at the back of his neck and pulling his face down to mine. I put my forehead against his and we just stayed like that for a moment, sucking each other's essences in.

Then I leaned closer and placed a tender kiss on his lips. He tasted like oranges. I found that funny and smiled when he pulled back to examine my lips. He cocked an eyebrow at my lazy yet amused face. I simply giggled and pulled him back into another kiss.

Sai's mouth was so soft, almost like feathers. And his kiss was so much more gentle than Neji's….

_Why would I notice that?_

I disregarded the thought and continued to kiss the pale boy leaning in front of me. I noticed his discomfort with the position we were in and smiled a bit through my delirium. My hands slid from the back of his neck to the little red straps on his shoulders and I grabbed them and pulled him closer. His body fell forward a bit and he caught himself by placing his hands and one knee on the bed.

He smirked a bit as he continued this movement, using it to his advantage; he pushed me back onto the bed and crawled on top of me. I wasn't pinned down, but getting free from this position would be a bit difficult. At the moment though, I didn't really care about it, I just wanted him to kiss me again.

My wish was granted when he leaned down and placed his feather kisses on the corners of my mouth and chin down to my neck.

_Neji didn't do this…_

I mentally slapped myself because of that thought.

What do I care if Neji didn't kiss me like Sai does? He isn't my boyfriend or lover. In fact, he's _someone else's_ lover!

I knitted my eyebrows together at the thought of Neji and Ten-Ten together. I didn't notice my physical irritation, but Sai did.

"Is something the matter?" he asked as he pulled away from the spot he was kissing on my collarbone. I shook my head, trying to ignore the annoyance it had caused me. Sai sat back on his heels, still straddling my waist and just stared at me.

"What?" I asked, a bit peeved by the lack of contact between us. He tilted his head to the side and gave me his plastic smile.

"The books say that when someone makes a face like that then something is bothering them." He replied as though he were reading from said book at the very moment. I sighed and bounced my hands on the bed, making dull thudding noises.

Sai cocked his head to the other side now and his smiled vanished. He examined my face and body language like a therapist would. It added to my irritation.

"Does it matter?" I sat up a bit and leaned back on my elbows.

At that moment, the door opened.

"Renzo, dinner's ready if you're-"

Hinata stopped talking in mid-sentence. She stared at Sai and me for a second before turning red and slamming the door shut and stuttering at us from the other side.

"I'm so s-sorry Renzo-kun! I didn't know you had c-c-company!" we listened as her footsteps quieted and eventually disappeared from the building.

I couldn't help but laugh.

I just laughed and laughed, holding my stomach so I wouldn't ache. Sai just continued to stare at me, puzzled. I suppose I was laughing to try and distract my mind from all the annoying thoughts, but he wouldn't understand something like that.

He got off of me completely and stood up, shaking his head.

"I'm going to go now. You need some time to think, it seems." He then winked at me and disappeared in a poof of smoke.

I stared blankly at the space he had been and groaned. I had actually let thoughts of Neji ruin my high and scare away a hot boy. How aggravating.

But then I thought back to yesterday at the lake.

Neji was so intensely immersed in our kisses. It was like there was only he and I. And when I was with Sai, it was nice, but I was aware of the rest of the world.

_Neji has a girlfriend…_

I cursed the voice in the back of my mind for reminding me of that fact once again.

_But Sai doesn't…_

Is that voice trying to set me up with him?

_He seems to like you…_

I guess so.

_And he is your source..._

My source for what?

_You know what…_

I shook my head and covered my face with my hands. I then stood up and made a series of hand signs before placing my hands on the floor.

In a puff of smoke, Sekaita appeared and screeched. I smiled at him and he jumped up onto the bed with me. He nuzzled my face with his beak and purred a bit. I giggled and rubbed his leathery skin.

"I knew you would cheer me up, Sekaita." I grinned when he just looked up at me and blinked. I continued to think about the whirling conflicts in my head and then eventually fell asleep, foregoing dinner.


	11. The World is so Very Small

"_I knew you would cheer me up, Sekaita." I grinned when he just looked up at me and blinked. I continued to think about the whirling conflicts in my head and then eventually fell asleep, foregoing dinner._

"Very good, Renzo-chan. You're a quick study." Iruka sensei smiled down at me. I grinned back up at him and then down at the notes I had been taking. I answered a question right in a class of children who were all much younger than me, but I was still proud.

Unlike the other students, I hadn't been a ninja since childhood. I was new to the idea. But I was soaking in the lessons like a sponge. I was in my element. Regular school subjects had always come easy to me, I enjoyed listening and learning, and the Leaf Ninja Academy was very similar to normal schools… except for the ninja factor, of course.

And I had eaten a nutritious breakfast to start my day so I was in a glorious mood! I had eggs, toast, and bacon.

_Mmm… bacon…_

"Iruka sensei… I don't understand the whole thing about chakra!" A loud little girl spoke without raising her hand (blasphemy!). Iruka stopped his lecture and thought for a moment.

"Well… It's like this; let's say you have a garden hose. That hose is your body and the water flowing through it is your chakra. If you simply let the water pour out by just holding the hose, you're wasting it. If you tie up the hose, the water won't come out at all. But if you put your finger over the end and control the flow, then you can use the hose to its full and practical potential. It's all about control Miruma-chan."

Iruka explained it like he was a child himself so she could understand. His way of teaching was inspiring.

"Any more questions?" everyone shook their heads. "Then class is dismissed." Iruka closed the textbook in his hand and the bell rang at the exact moment it closed. The little children chattered gleefully as they ran through the halls. I walked along at a slow pace, soaking in the environment.

_I love school…_

I nodded to myself, agreeing with that strange voice in my head. She had become a regular visitor now, commenting on people and things. She would also tell me when I needed to go see Sai for my 'need' as I called it now.

That need had gone unnoticed for a few days actually. It was odd, sometimes I felt weak and woozy every hour nor so, and sometimes it took days before I felt it again.

This week was one of the longer ones. It had been six whole days since I last saw Sai and got high. I shook away the thoughts from my mind and focused on getting home to the Hyuuga compound. I still wasn't very used to the city and got lost frequently. Luckily for me, no thugs or creepers had confronted me since the night Sai saved me.

_You think about Sai a lot…_

You talk a lot.

_It's not like there's much else for me to do…_

You could get out of my head.

_Where's the fun in that?_

I ignored her question and walked on, stopping to look at a shop window that caught my eye.

"Red curtains!" I grinned and skipped into the store. It was a relatively old looking place, some of the merchandise was dusty and the woman behind the counter looked ancient. I couldn't quite figure out the main purpose of the store, but I didn't care. I walked over to the curtains and took them in my hands, rubbing the fabric with my fingers.

It was so soft! I couldn't help but give a silent cheer as I sauntered to the counter, the curtains balled up in my arms. The woman was my height and we could both just barely reach across the counter and exchange money and change, but the transaction was made and I cheered again.

She smiled at me and giggled. It was then that I noticed she was the old woman from the lake. But where was her husband?

"Excuse me… but are you a ninja?" I asked hoping she'd answer. She nodded and pulled a head band from her yukata pocket and held it up for me to see. It was old and worn and the corners of the metal plate were rusty.

"Is your husband a ninja too?" she made a face at my question, a little taken aback. But I guess she recognized me from the lake as well and smiled again.

"Yes, he is. And our son is a ninja too; he's a teacher at the Academy!" Her face beamed with pride as the words spilled from her trembling old lips.

I smiled brightly at her and asked, "What's your name, ma'am? I'm Enkichi Renzo."

She paused for a moment, as if to think.

_She must be really, really old…_

I ignored the rude voice of my mind and awaited her answer.

"My name is Umino Zensari." I gasped and hopped a bit when she said it.

"Oh my gosh! You're son is my teacher! He's Iruka sensei!" I clapped and grinned and fluttered about, glad to have met the mother of my awesome teacher. She simply grinned back at me and nodded vigorously.

"Yes, Iruka is my dear son. I'm s proud of my dear, dear son…" Umino-san trailed off as she shuffled over to a chair and sat down… she then fell asleep.

I stared at her for a moment and then giggled. She was such a cute old woman. I grabbed a blanket that was hung over some old knick knacks and placed it over her small, thin form. That way she would be warm and my mind would be at ease.

I grabbed my curtains from the counter and walked out of the store, struggling to see around the red, fabric mass in my arms. That's when I felt a familiar breath on the back of my head.

"Need some help?"

For some reason, my heart skipped a beat when I heard his voice.

_Must be that bacon…_

I turned on my heel and came face to neck with Neji. I tilted my body back a bit to look up at his face and he had an eyebrow raised at me. I looked back down at the rolls of soft fabric on my arms and then held them out to him. He took the corners of one end and I the corner of the other end and we proceeded to fold them on the side of the street.

"Thank you!" I smiled shyly at him and tried not to blush when he smirked back.

There was just something about him that got to me…

Neji walked along side me as I talked about school and meeting Iruka's mother. He silently listened, nestling his hands in his pockets and nodding every once in a while.

I glanced up at him and almost tripped over a pot hole

He wasn't looking at me, but at the road ahead of him, and from the angle I was looking at him he seemed to shine. His head was obstructing the sun and it made his whole face glow, and his lavender eyes looked completely white. The dramatic shadows brought out the sharp angles of his face, making him look delicately rugged.

He was so beautiful like this.

I blinked myself back into reality and blushed. I clutched the curtains closer to my chest and placed my shin on them to feel the softness of them. Neji turned his head a bit and looked at me before rolling his eyes and smirking. I smiled at him and skipped a bit as we walked.

We were like a picture perfect couple.

_You're boy crazy…_

Shut up. We're just friends.

_Then why did you say you're like a picture perfect couple?_

I don't know.

She didn't speak again after that so I decided to pick up a conversation with Neji.

"How's Ten-Ten? I haven't seen her around lately." I looked up at him and hoped I wouldn't walk into another hole.

"I don't really know, I haven't seen her at all since I broke up with her." He replied, sighing a bit. "She's such a bitter bitch."

"You broke up?" I just stared at him, wide eyed. "Why would you break up with a girl who 'gives it out' like candy?"

Neji stopped walking. I stopped too and looked at him, puzzled. He raised his eyebrows at me and crossed his arms.

"You think guys only ever want girlfriends just for sex?" he asked, almost laughing.

I nodded and blushed. Was I really so naïve that he had to explain relationships to me?

"Sure sex is a great part of being with someone, but I also want someone to talk to… That's why I broke up with her; she stopped being Ten-Ten and only ever wanted to fuck because she thought it made me happy."

I twitched a bit at the thought of them having sex.

"And also because I like someone else…"

I looked up and caught him looking at his own feet, trying to hide a blush behind tresses of loose hair. I smirked a bit and put my hands on my hips, holding my bundle of curtains against my side.

"Oh really? Who?" I snickered, waiting for him to say Ino or Sakura or even the name of a girl who isn't a ninja.

"…It's you."


	12. Surprises Keep the Mind Wary

"…_It's you."_

The soft words echoed in my mind like a shout in a cave. It was unbelievable. In the short time I had been in Konohagakure I had captured someone's heart. I didn't quite count Lee because he seemed to fall in love with any girl who would give the time of day.

I sat on my bed and stared at my red curtains. They looked so perfect; just transparent enough to let the sun shine through in a glorious glow.

The light glowed like Neji.

_You think about him a lot too…_

So? I can think about people however much I want to.

_Well you should be thinking about Sai right now; we're in need…_

I know… I can feel it building…

I got up off the bed and took a deep breath in and let it our between my teeth, making a hissing noise. It was odd that I had gone so long without my sweet release.

As I exited my room I glanced at Neji's closed door. I didn't know if he was in or not so I just walked past and continued out of the compound. Hopefully I would find Sai relatively soon and I would forget about Neji for just a little while.

Oddly enough, I didn't have to look for a long time… Sai found me instead.

He snuck up on me in the plaza. His pale white hands slid in front of my eyes and I could feel him breathing down the back of my neck.

"Guess who…"

I smiled and grabbed his hands, pulling them down and kissing his palm before turning to face him.

Sai flashed his signature plastic smile and tapped his kunai bag. I licked my lips at the mere thought of its contents.

He turned on his heel and led the way to today's secret spot. He liked to vary the places we partook; to keep our minds open, he said.

We walked past the Hokage's building and past the school, past the broken down parts of town and into the forest. It was when we stopped in a small clearing that he turned to me.

"Oh, by the way, there's going to be someone else with us today, so let's not get carried away like last time." He spoke fluidly. I blushed at the thought of our last romp. It had gotten quite heated.

I stiffened when I heard the bushes off to my side shuffle. My eyes widened for a split second when Kakashi-sensei walked into view with his hands in his pockets.

He nodded at Sai and then at me. It was a hello I suppose. I watched as Kakashi pulled out some money and Sai pulled out the familiar white powder. They made a transaction and nodded again.

Kakashi then pulled out a pipe and proceeded to smoke his new stash.

Sai and I followed suit, inhaling the heavenly smoke and losing touch with reality.

We all sat on the ground for a while, leaning on trees and laying on the ground. I was staring up at the clouds again. I was starting to get why Shikamaru was doing it that one day last week, they're so interesting.

Some looked like animals some looked like people and some even looked like objects. I smiled when a large sombrero floated by in the sky and shaded our little rendezvous area.

After a while of silence I stood up, stumbling a bit over my own feet and my wobbly knees. Sai looked up from his spot in the grass and followed my form as I walked over to Kakashi-sensei who was leaning against a tree.

I fell to my knees in front of him and caught myself on my hands before I fell completely forward. He stared at my with his one exposed eye and seemed amused by my antics. I crawled only a little bit closer before cocking my head to the side.

"Why do you cover your face?" I blurted as I rocked back and forth on my arms.

Kakashi studied me for a moment. Finally he chuckled and answered as coyly as possible.

"I'm self conscience about my face. I'm quite an ugly duckling really." His eye closed and practically smiled at me.

I could hear some snickering from behind me and craned my neck to glare at Sai. He simply smiled his plastic smile and closed his eyes. When I turned to look back at Kakashi, he was standing up and dusting himself off. He took a few shaky steps before sauntering off into the woods and in the direction of the main road.

Sai stood as well and walked over to hold a hand out to help me up. I took it and hoisted myself upward, nearly falling over at the speed I pushed up on. The high was starting to fade but I didn't mind very much.

Sai would know about when I need him next.

We walked back to the Hyuuga compound trying to act as normal as possible and were successful. We received only the usual stares at the oddly dressed Sai.

When we go to the gate Sai tried to kiss me goodbye. He leaned forward and I closed my eyes, but at the last second I turned away and he kissed my cheek. He pulled back looking as blank faced as ever and walked away.

_Why did you do that?_

Because he was going to kiss me.

_I thought you liked his kisses…_

I do… but I'm not going to have this conversation with you!

I shut her up and retreated into the inner mechanism of the compound. The garden look as peaceful as usual and I sat down in the grass, feeling it between my fingers and sighing into the slight breeze. Everything was so calm and quiet. But I wasn't alone for long.

I closed my eyes and prayed that the footsteps nearing me would continue past me.

But of course they didn't.

I heard the grass ruffle and kept my eyes closed; not wanting to see the person intruding my peace. For a long while, it was blissfully silent and I figured it was Hinata sitting next to me. Feeling safe, I laid back and spread out my limbs, soaking up the sun.

I was unusually pale this summer. I welcomed the warm rays and bathed in the pleasant heat.

"If you're trying to tan, I think you're cute just the way you are."

My eyes shot open and I jerked my body upward. I looked to my left and saw Neji sitting there, smirking at me. He was so smug with his ghost white eyes and his stupid perfect face.

We stared at each other for a moment and seemed to cause a commotion in nature because the birds that had been resting amongst the flowers flew off in a hurry.

"Well I don't want to be pale and sickly… like you." I replied finally, feeling satisfied. He only blinked before his smirk disappeared.

"So does that mean you think Sai is sickly too?"

My breathe caught in my throat and my heart seemed to beat extra fast at the mention of Sai.

_Sounds like he's jealous…_

Do you just sit in my head and wait for interesting things to happen?

_That's the jist of it…_

Neji looked me in the eyes before speaking again.

"Naruto has been telling people that you and Sai are pretty friendly."

Is that disappointment in his voice?

I ignored my flickering heartbeats and nodded. His face fell a bit, as though he were sad.

"But that's just it, we're friends."

Why did I say that?

Neji's face lightened up and his smirk returned. I felt uncomfortable under his white hot gaze but I couldn't look away from those entrancing eyes.

"Does that mean I have a chance?" he cooed a bit.

I couldn't help but giggled at how out of the ordinary he was acting. I was nice to see him act like a normal teenager. Maybe Lee and she whom shall not be named anymore had seen this side of him before, but this was new to me.

"Depends," I whispered coyly, "Do you have the guts proclaim your love for me to the world?" I asked teasingly.

"Love? Don't you think you're moving a bit fast?" Neji raised an eyebrow at me and I blushed.

I looked down at my lap and twiddled my fingers like Hinata does and tried to will the rosy tint on my cheeks to go away. It didn't, but I looked up at him again and smiled anyway.

"Fine, then proclaim that you've 'taken a fancy to me'."

Neji's entire face went blank and he just stared at me. I tried to stifle my laughter but failed. He's so cute when he's dumbfounded!

_You think he's cute…_

Well if he actually does it, then I'm going out with him, so I don't see a problem with it!

I stood up and brushed any dirt I might have had on my butt away and put my hands on my hips. Neji stood as well and seemed to slump as he followed me out of the compound.

This is going to be fun…


	13. Some Secrets Don't Stay Secrets for Long

_This is going to be fun…_

"I have taken a fancy to Enkichi Renzo." Neji said dully as we stood atop the Hokage's office building.

"No! You have to scream it for all of Konohagakure to hear!" I laughed and playfully tugged on his hair. He sighed and took in a breath of air.

"I've taken a fancy to Enkichi Renzo!"

I looked over the edge and no one had seemed to notice Neji's shouts.

"Louder." I tugged his hair again.

"If you do that one more time I'm going to chop your hand off."

"Now _that's_ the Neji I know! But seriously, scream louder."

"I'm going to enjoy making _you_ scream one of these days."

He smirked.

I blushed.

I let go of his hair and crossed my arms, pretending to pout. Neji rolled his eyes and turned to look back at the village. He was quiet for a while.

Then suddenly, he burst like a water balloon.

"**I've taken a fancy to Enkichi Renzo!**"

People on the street below jumped and look up at us in surprise. One person in particular was extremely shocked.

This certain person had two buns on her head.

I tried not to laugh as she whom I dare not name stomped down the road and disappeared around a corner. When she was gone from my sight I grabbed Neji's hand and laughed, attracting more stares from the people below us.

Neji sighed and laced his fingers with mine before smirking a bit. Almost as soon as I finished my giggling fit, he pulled me close and kissed me softly on the cheek. He quickly released me though when he noticed that strangers were still staring at us.

I smiled through my blush and pretended not to notice the butterflies in my stomach. These butterflies were awfully powerful, because almost as soon as they came, my stomach growled.

I giggled again and put a hand on my tummy, looking at Neji expectantly. He simply sighed and said, "You choose the place… And I'll pay."

I smiled and jumped off the edge of the building causing Neji to momentarily panic. When I landed on my feet he just stared at me. He jumped down to join me and I winked at him and continued walking before turning to face him and walking backwards.

"Iruka-sensei taught me how to use my chakra to prevent injuries from jumping and landing. And luckily I'm a quick learner!" I chirped and skipped backwards.

Neji shook his head and shoved his hands in his pockets and grumbled something about shitting bricks. I cocked my head to the side and raised an eyebrow at him, stopping in the middle of the street.

"Did you really think I would jump off of a building if I thought I wouldn't be able to land?" I put my hands on my hips and almost glared at him.

He shrugged and looked away before answering, "Well I just didn't expect it… it caught me off guard."

I giggled and walked back to him and grabbed his hand, intertwining his fingers with mine. He sighed again and began walking. I quizzically raised an eyebrow at him.

"I thought you said I could choose where we're going."

"This seems only fair seeing as you nearly gave me a heart attack back there."

I nodded in response. I suppose it _was_ sort of a scary thought… an inexperienced ninja jumping from a high place and all.

Our walk halted in front of a small restaurant… well, it was more of a stand really. The sign read 'Ichiraku Ramen'.

The aroma's drifting from beyond the small curtains drew me in and I couldn't help but exhale loudly and lick my lips. Neji stepped up to the counter, sitting down at the end leaving a seat for me next to him and a familiar blonde boy.

"Naruto!" I hugged him from behind as he was slurping down ramen like an absolute pig.

_He reminds you of your brothers, doesn't he?_

I ignored the woman in my head, who I had decided to call Koe and let go of Naruto.

He gulped down his mouthful of noodles and grinned at me. Then he went right back to pigging out. I laughed at his antics.

Neji cleared his throat which brought my attention back to him. I sat down on the stool he left for me and turned it so I could face him and put my feet up on his lap, like a leg rest. Naruto stared at us for a moment but decided to ignore us.

I ordered the delicious looking shrimp ramen that my happy blonde friend was chowing down on and Neji ordered chicken ramen.

For the most part, we ate in silence; glancing at each other occasionally, but it wasn't uncomfortable in the least. I finished first and slid my bowl away and watched Neji eat, my feet still propped up on his legs.

When he finished he pushed his bowl away and put down some money. The man behind the counter thanked us for coming and started yelling at Naruto about payment. I rolled my eyes and began walking away.

Neji slid his arm around my waist and pulled me close and I couldn't help but smile, despite the huge food baby I was carrying.

But the hairs on the back of my neck stood when we turned the corner ahead of us.

We were face to face with Sai.

My body tensed and my light smile faded. For a moment, my heart leapt up to my throat and I just stared at him, but continued to walk. I hoped Neji didn't notice, and was glad when Sai only glanced at us as he moved out of our way and passed us.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding and let my shoulders slump. I dodged quite a bullet.

But something about that encounter was troubling.

Sai seemed preoccupied. It was almost as if he weren't all there, but it wasn't because of our secret hobby. But I shrugged it off… bad idea.

Almost as soon as we got back to the compound, shit hit the fan.

Ten-Ten was waiting at the gate for us. Her eyes were narrowed and her arms were crossed in a bitchy sort of stance.

Neji glared at her, and if looks could kill, he'd be a murderer right now. She wasn't fazed by his look and only smirked at him.

"So you dumped me for this crack head? Wow, such a step up, Neji-_kun_." She said and pat out the suffix as if to mock their previous relationship.

My eyes widened and I shifted my head slightly to look at Neji. He continued to glare and the bitter girl but his eyes seemed confused. Ten-Ten could see it too.

"Oh, you don't know? I would have thought Ino told _everyone_! She saw Renzo and Sai at the stone door!"

Neji's face lost its edge and he slowly moved his gaze to look at me. I tried as hard as I could to hide the shame on my face but stumbled over my words and couldn't get any of my thoughts out. Neji squeezed me closer and looked back at Ten-Ten.

Then he leaned down and kissed me. It was a long, slow, passionate kiss and it made the annoying girl in front of us flinch. She scowled and threw her hands up before storming off again. I felt relief but it was immediately wiped away when Neji grabbed me by the shoulders and looked me directly in the eyes.

His fingernails were almost cutting into my skin and I winced at the pain.

"Is she telling the truth?"

His grip tightened when I didn't answer right away.

"N-No… I don't know what she's talking about."

I lied.

_How odd of you…_

Koe whispered and I cursed her for always commenting on my life.

Neji's hands slid from my shoulders and he sighed. He didn't say a word as he turned and walked into the compound. I couldn't really tell if he had believed me, but I dismissed it and assumed he just needed some alone time.

When I got to my room I closed and locked the door. I didn't want Sai sneaking in, but I doubted that if he really wanted to, a lock would stop him. But it made me feel better.

_Want to know what I've been thinking about for a while?_

Getting out of my head?

_No, about how Neji said he liked sex in a relationship…_

And?

_You're the one he's in a relationship with…_

…

_Just saying…_

Thanks, because I totally wasn't stressed out enough.

_I don't appreciate your sarcasm…_

I don't appreciate you.

_Touché…_

I willed Koe away and lay down on my bed. Would I really have sex with Neji?

Shaking my head I pushed the thought into the deepest recesses of my mind. I would worry about that later.

Right now, I had to worry about something much more serious.

The need was coming back already.


	14. Together, We are Strong

_The need was coming back already._

I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of light knocking on my bedroom window. Jumping from my bed and nearly toppling over my backpack, I raced to pull back the curtains.

I hope it's Sai.

My hopes were crushed when my eyes adjusted to the light outside my window and I was face to glass to face with Lee. He held a tiny flashlight up and shined it in my face causing me to squint and motioned for me to open the window.

I did and he immediately crawled in and hugged me.

"Oh, my dear Renzo-hime! Is it true? Are you and Neji a couple? Naruto said he saw you two at Ichiraku, but I had to hear it from you!" he wailed, squeezing me in his death grip of an embrace.

I wriggled a bit so I could breathe but was unable to form words from my lack of oxygen. When my face started to turn a faint purple, Lee let go.

I fell onto my butt like a klutz and gasped as cool air finally filled my lungs. I stood up and straightened myself out; making sure my pajamas weren't less than appropriate for a guest and looked up at Lee's patient but excited face.

I nodded curtly, not wanting to make the poor boy wait any longer and I wasn't surprised when his shoulders sagged a little.

"I see… well I give you my blessings, Neji is a good man!" he recovered quickly and slammed a hand on my back as if to congratulate me. The force of his gesture sent me lurching forward and right into the wall. I hit it with a dull thud.

_Ow, what was that?_

So you're awake now…

_Yes, and in pain…_

How? You're an entity in my head!

_Let's not question physics or logic right now…_

I rubbed my head and cursed under my breath. Sleep was something I was actually looking forward to tonight after my run in with Ten-Ten a few hours ago. But it didn't look like I was going to have a peaceful night.

"I'm so sorry Renzo-hime! I'll make it all better!" Lee fretted as he scrambled to help me up.

He then proceeded to blow kisses at me. And much to my dismay, little pink hearts floated towards me.

What the hell?

_There you go, questioning things again…_

I dodged the love tokens of doom and sighed. Lee looked dejected but got over it and bowed to me and apologized for interrupting my night.

I just smiled at him and waved goodbye as he climbed back through the window and left out into the night.

Well that was a complete waste of energy.

_Indeed…_

Koe wasn't being as annoying as she usually was so I didn't bother to yell at her to go away. She must be tired and confused anyhow so I didn't want to add to her discomfort.

Wow… I'm actually growing attached to you…

_How can you not help but love me? I'm adorable!_

I ignored her and stood at the window for a moment, feeling the cold air on my skin. It felt so good compared to the heat of the daytime. Summer is such an odd time of year. Why the earth needs annually to heat to almost boiling is beyond me!

_You seemed to like the heat going on between you and Sai that time on your bed…_

Shut up. I was high.

_Whatever…_

I'm with Neji!

_But you weren't then, were you?_

…

_I win. Now let's go find our steamy source…_

Koe purred in the back of my mind and I couldn't help but shudder at the thought of my growing need. Without hesitation, I climbed out the window and stepped down onto damp grass.

The moonlight was just bright enough to lead me to the gate. It was closed and Rendan and Agotsu were nowhere in sight, but I just grinned and adjusted my chakra and used it to enhance my jump. I wasn't quite good enough to soar over the wall, but I managed to grab the top and hoist myself over.

My bare feet made no sound when I landed on the dirt road. Some dust puffed up but disappeared rather quickly as the wind picked up.

The bare skin of my arms and legs went tight with goose bumps. Tank tops and short shorts were definitely not meant to be worn outside at night.

I shook away the chills and took off running down the road. It couldn't have been much later than 1:00am but the streets were completely deserted. Finding Sai would be relatively easy… if I knew where he lived that is.

I ran around the village for a good fifteen minutes but there was no sign of my black eyed prey.

I came to a dead stop when I noticed where I was currently looking. It was the same road that Sai had taken me to the first night I used.

I continued walking slowly and came to the exact spot where the door had been. There were no streetlights here but I was able to recognize it despite the darkness.

The faint glow of the moon played on my skin as I waited.

And then…

"What are you doing?"

I whirled around and nearly screamed when Neji placed a hand on my shoulder.

My heartbeat was wild and my eyes teared up from the momentary fear. I grabbed him around the torso and hid my face in his shoulder. He was surprised but didn't push me away. Instead he returned my embrace and placed his chin on top of my head and tried to calm me down.

_You're shaky and paranoid… we need it soon…_

"Shut up!" I yelled at Koe, not wanting to deal with her.

Neji pushed me back a bit to look at me and seemed to ask a question with his eyes.

"Not you… I'm just, I mean… ugh!"

I buried my face in his shoulder again. He sighed and pushed me back again. I looked up at him in confusion but my puzzlement was replaced by fear when I saw the seriousness of his face.

"This is where the stone door is said to be…" He looked away from me and scanned the edge of the woods. When he had his fill of the landscape he returned his gaze to me and removed his hands from body.

I felt a chill run through me as he seemed to look straight into my very soul with those ghost white eyes.

"Ten-Ten was telling the truth… wasn't she?"

There was total silence for at least a minute. And then… I broke down crying.

I fell to my knees and sobbed into my hands. I tried to speak but the words were choked and broken. Neji never moved from his place in front of me. He looked down at me and seemed to be disgusted but his eyes were full of sympathy.

When he knelt down to comfort me, I leaned into his arms and allowed him to rick me back and forth. He whispered sweet nothings in my ear until I quieted down and stroked my hair. I finished my hard sobs but was still crying when I spoke.

"I don't want to do this anymore… I don't want to let it get to the point of no return. Please help me, Neji…" my voice was barely above a whisper.

"I will." He replied and stood up, pulling me up with him.

He wiped away the tear streaks and pushed the hair out of my face. Our eyes met and I was lost in the eerie orbs. Then he leaned down and kissed me tenderly on the lips. I melted into him and let him hold me close.

When we broke apart, I leaned my head on his arm as we walked.

"You're going to have to stay in your room for a while."

I looked up at him, a bit confused.

"So you don't go off and get drugs."

I looked down at the ground and nodded. But wait, how did Neji know I wasn't in my room tonight?

"How did you find me?" I inquired, looking at him out of the corner of my eye. He held my hand and smirked before answering,

"You and Lee aren't exactly quiet… and I never heard you shut the window so I came to your room and followed you out."

I blushed when I remembered the loud thud my head had made when it came in contact with my wall. Lee was going to get a kick in the shin the next time I see him!

We walked the rest of the way home in silence. He picked me up and jumped over the gate and carried my all the way back to my room. Neji tucked me in a kissed my forehead. Before he left he turned back to look at me.

He was captivatingly beautiful in the moonlight coming through my window.

_He's beautiful in the sun, he's beautiful in the moonlight, make up your mind!_

I disregarded Koe and gazed at his lean, form standing by the door.

"We'll get through this, Renzo. I won't let you down."


	15. Ignorance is Bliss

"_We'll get through this, Renzo. I won't let you down."_

**Scratch scratch scratch scratch**

"Stop that… you'll peel your skin off."

"It already feels like it's falling off."

"Fine, but don't actually pull it off."

**Scratch scratch scratch scratch**

"What did I just say?"

"Screw you."

Withdrawal is an odd thing. The day had pretty much been full of combative conversation and itches. Mostly just itches. It felt like my skin was crawling and melting off of my bones. But every time I go to scratch an itch, Neji get's on my back about it.

For a so-called genius ninja he sure was an idiot. I wouldn't actually be able to tear my skin off. I had no nails… I had bitten them all off the night before when the first signs began to take hold.

At the current moment, itches were the symptom.

Itches…

**Scratch scratch scratch scratch**

Neji sighed and let his head fall back and hit the wall. We were sitting on my bed, trying to pass the time, but he was making it boring. He wouldn't let me do anything. He wouldn't even let me draw!

"You'd probably stab yourself with a pencil." Was his logic.

Stupid Hyuuga.

Stupid itches.

**Scratch scratch scratch scratch**

"I will tie your hands behind your back if I have to."

"Go right ahead, but don't blame me when I scream rape."

He sighed again and I watched as he closed his eyes. He looked tired, though he got a full night's sleep. I, on the other hand, spent it shivering and shaking and nail biting because he put a jutsu on my room that kept me from leaving. He was afraid I'd try to fulfill my need.

_I'll murder him… I want it and I want it now. I don't care if it kills me I'm going to get it!_

No, you're not, so shut up. Don't act all tough, you're just a voice in my head.

_Shut your trap, bitch!_

"Fuck you!"

"What did I do now?"

I groaned and leaned forward to place my forehead on Neji's shoulder. He was so patient, sitting with me while I was total wreck of a human being. My hair was a mess, I hadn't taken a shower since yesterday morning, I have bags under my eyes and my morning breath is horrid! He's a saint.

_A saint who likes to have a lot of sex…_

I ignored Koe and sighed before falling backwards and lying sprawled out on my bed. In this position Neji was pushed up against the wall and he grunted a bit.

Good… he's one step closer to being as uncomfortable as I am right now.

And then he happened to scratch his face…

**Scratch scratch scratch scratch**

"Renzo…"

"You started it this time."

Evil. Absolutely, undeniably evil.

That's how I define Neji Hyuuga at the moment.

He had finally agreed to take me outside and to walk around, but now here we are, standing in the middle of the plaza… with a leash around my neck.

People were staring at us, but did Neji care?

No. No he didn't.

He was actually very satisfied with himself. I yanked at the leash and he only smirked before following in the direction I wanted to go. Every time I would grumble at how stupid he was being, he would yank from his end… which usually caused me to fall over.

Every person we passed gave us odd looks. But the worst one we got was from none other than Rock Lee.

He saw us from afar, but failed to notice my restraint. When he got closer, his entire face turned red. He stammered out a few sorry's and good luck's before hurrying away… I assume he was thinking naughty thoughts.

But honestly, who wouldn't be? When there's a hot, reserved, Hyuuga ninja holding a leash attached to a short, big eyed Lolita standing out in public, where would your mind travel? Someplace kinky, that's where!

"Want to go to the lake?"

"I like how you make it seem like I have a choice in the matter."

Neji rolled his eyes and his self-satisfied smirk grew wider. He turned and began walking toward the lake, dragging me with him. When we got there, we sat on the bench where Iruka sensei's parents had been sitting the last time we were here and we just stared out at the water.

It was as dazzling as before. The sun played with the small waves that crashed onto the pebbled shore and the water gleamed with delight.

We sat in silence for a long while, just drinking in the setting. But I could feel when Neji gently untied the restraint around my neck and placed a hand over my own. I moved to lean on his shoulder and he rested his cheek on my head.

From a third party view we probably looked like the perfect couple.

But truth be told, we were still only acquaintances. I barely knew anything about the guy. Other than the fact that he can be a jerk and a sweetheart at the same time…Why am I dating him again?

_Because he's hot…_

That's right. He is hot. Very hot, in fact, extremely hot!

Neji's hand squeezed mine a bit but I never looked up at him. I could feel him staring at me, at one spot on my face. His eyes were burning the skin there. He was making the spot…

Itch.

**Scratch scratch scratch scratch **

Neji sighed and removed his hand from mine, giving me space I assume. But even with the lack of contact between us at the moment, everything seemed perfect.


	16. Old Habits Die Hard

_I'm so sorry it's taken so long for me to update, but I have had a lot to deal with lately and I haven't had the time. Please forgive me._

So what if I barely know him… we're happy together right? But then would that make me one of those girls who's so desperate for a boyfriend that she dates the first guy who comes along? No… then I would be with Lee.

_Or Sai…_

Hush.

"Are you aware that today marks one of the most significant days in your life?" I was snapped back into reality by Iruka sensei's voice. He stood at the front of the classroom, grinning and making everything seem chipper and dandy.

"Today is the day you become genin! Now show me what you've got!"

I must have missed his speech, but whatever. I was ready for the test.

The children around me whispered and giggled excitedly. Ah, how easy life was back when I was but a child.

_You sound like an old poet…_

Thank you?

I willed Koe away (I was getting better at that) and returned to watching the kiddies. A few girls were sitting together and pointing at a boy sleeping at his desk. One girl, a blonde, inched towards him and woke him up with a nervous tap. The red headed boy awoke with a big yawn and just stared at the girl.

_Young love is so cute…_

"Don't do it! You'll cause yourself stress and you'll have white hair by the time you're my age!" I shouted at the girl.

She yelped and hurried back to her seat, more from surprise rather than fear of what I'd said.

I sat back down and sighed, realizing that probably wasn't the best way of handling things. Iruka sensei ignored everything and began calling names to take the test.

First was the little blonde girl, she made a clone and got a headband. A few people after, it was the red headed boy's turn. He just barely passed with a sickly looking clone of himself.

The last person to go was me. I stood up nervously and scuttled to the front of the classroom. The other students were peering at me with awe. They still weren't used to having a teenager in their midst. I smiled at them and tried to calm my nerves.

Everyone had done a clone; every last one of them. How hard could it be? They're all twelve!

But of course… it's never quite the same for me. My clone was… off. She was taller and had a fierce look in her eyes. And the strangest thing of all: I felt like she was someone I had met before. Someone like…

"… Koe?"

Iruka sensei didn't seem to notice her wink at me, and he clapped and congratulated me, handing me a headband. I bowed and thanked him and released the jutsu.

When I got back to my seat, we had to sit through his goodbye speech and then the bell rang. I dashed out of the classroom faster than any of the other students. I ran around to the back playground and performed the jutsu again, staring in awe as, one again, Koe appeared.

"I thought I'd _never_ get out of there!"

"What is going on?! How is this possible?"

"I've evolved."

"Evolved? What?"

"I thought you would have figured it out by now. I am the being formerly referred to as Sekaita. I'm your blood pet."

And then…

I fainted.

I awoke in my bed.

The room was dark and everything was as I had left it this morning. But wait, how did I get back here?

_Sai came back from his mission. He found you behind the academy._

You're back in my head?

_Well you haven't summoned me yet._

I don't think I will…

I looked down at the bed and tears came to my eye. I had wondered why Sekaita hadn't been the same that last time I brought her out. She seemed absent.

_You poisoned the former me, you know._

I stayed silent. What did she mean?

_You've created me and I need sustenance. I need Sai. I need what he can give us. I need what he placed under your bed when he brought you home._

My breath caught in my throat. The dark room seemed darker in the minute I sat there. Silence enveloped everything and I clutched at the bed sheets.

I had already gone through withdrawal with Neji. I can't fall back down that hole again. I can't!

But…

_I need it. So badly. We need it…_

I closed my eyes and stood up. I could feel Sai's eyes watching me somewhere in the room. I walked over to the closet and opened it. Lo and behold, Sai stood in the small space, smiling at me.

"I wondered how long it was going to take you to find me."

He calmly walked over to the bed and snatched up his treasure from beneath the wooden structure. I clamored to him, the sight of it wiping away any doubts I had had before.

He took a puff.

I took a puff.

I let it envelope me in its silky smooth high.

And I let him envelope me with his silky smooth skin.


	17. There are Monsters in the Dark

_And I let him envelope me with his silky smooth skin._

_Your hands are shaking._

I didn't eat breakfast.

_Because you were nauseas._

It's just a stomach ache.

I could feel my stomach pulse in disgust. Koe was right, it's not a stomach ache. Sai was on another mission with team Kakashi. I haven't felt the silky smooth caress of a perfect high in almost two days.

"Are you feeling ok? You look pale."

"Well you're one to talk about pale."

Neji smiled nervously. He could tell something was wrong, anyone could.

I licked my dry lips and pulled the brittle hair out of my face. The park seemed like a good idea earlier this morning. But now as Neji and I sat there, soaking in the deplorable sun, I was growing more and more miserable.

I could feel his hand tighten around my own shaking fingers. Worry bled from his gorgeous eyes as he looked into mine.

_You can't keep lying to him. He'll find out eventually. _

He can't know. It would kill him.

_How can you be so sure? Maybe he'll learn to accept it. He could even try it himself. It could be like a bonding activity for the two of you!_

… That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard.

_That's how you and Sai seem to bond._

I looked away from Neji and let my hair fall back into my face. I was too ashamed to let him look at me.

But Koe was right. Sai and I get closer each time he comes to me. Every night that he's spent lying with me, kissing me, brought us closer.

The wind was calm and blew gently through my open window. Sai held me close and kissed my forehead for a hello before leading me to the bed. We sat down and I nervously looked at my feet. He whispered into my ear.

"You're skin is so soft. I want to touch it all over."

"Sai… I have a boyfriend."

"And yet here I am, in your bed. Has he been in your bed?"

I turned and buried my face in his chest. He leaned back and we fell back on the sheets. He rolled us over so he could be on top of me before he spoke again.

"There's something we need to discuss."

Something in his voice sounded odd. It wasn't his usual sensual tone. It was a more animalistic tone.

"Eventually, I'm going to need some form of compensation. I don't like giving my things away for free."

I lifted my body onto my elbows.

"But I don't have any money…"

"I don't necessarily need money."

He shifted his body and looked me in the eye. Slowly, agonizingly, he placed his lips against my ear.

"Your body is worth so much more that money."

He flipped us over again so I was on top of him and he put his hands behind my head with a smirk.

I could feel him. He was so pressed against me that there was no way I could ignore it. He bucked his hips suddenly and drew a quick gasp from my lips.

His irritating, irresistible smirk widened and he narrowed his eyes.

I slipped off of him and he took my hand firmly.

"Sai…"

"I can't keep supplying you if I get nothing in return. The world doesn't work like that."

I looked him in the eye and noticed how black they were all over again. They were like the darkness itself. And I could see my face reflected in them. I looked… like a monster.

He lead my hand with his own, guiding it to his lap.

I blushed hard and looked away, turning my whole head from him. But he grasped it gently and turned me back by my chin. His hand snaked its way from my chin to the back of my head.

Slowly, so slowly, he guided my head like he had with my hand.

To the same spot.

A tear slid down my cheek, sparkling in the sunlight. Neji saw and pulled my face to his own, gently kissing my lips. He kissed the tear away after and smiled weakly and me.

"Don't worry, I know it's tough to stop, but you're getting better. And I'll be with you until the end."

I choked back a sob and placed my head on his shoulder.

How can life be so cruel?


	18. Holding Back Will Tear You Apart

_A tear slid down my cheek, sparkling in the sunlight. Neji saw and pulled my face to his own, gently kissing my lips. He kissed the tear away after and smiled weakly and me._

_"Don't worry, I know it's tough to stop, but you're getting better. And I'll be with you until the end."_

_I choked back a sob and placed my head on his shoulder._

_How can life be so cruel?_

I inhaled his scent as we lay on my bed. Everything about him was so intoxicating: his soft hair, his coal black eyes, his plastic smile. I closed my eyes and let Sai's very essence fill my being.

"Precious, you're getting so good at what I've taught you."

I was snapped out of my trance when Sai spoke, his smooth voice caressing the guilt that was ever present in my heart.

"Precious... you haven't called me by that name in a while."

I whispered as I lifted my head off of his chest to look into his eyes.

He looked directly into mine and smiled. God how I love that smile. It's a smile that makes all my inhibitions just melt away.

'It's more beautiful than Neji's…'

My eyes widened at my own thought and I repositioned my head so I couldn't see his face.

'This is all so wrong.'

"What's wrong Precious?

'So, so wrong.'

"Are you feeling okay?"

'Neji loves me! How can I keep doing this to him?!'

_Our need drives us Renzo. It fuels the fire._

'The need… how did we ever end up in this mess?'

"Precious?"

_Because this one opened our eyes to the world._

"But… why?"

"Why what, Precious?"

I clenched my eyes shut and cursed myself. Had I really said that out loud?

"Talk to me Pre-"

"Why did you choose me? What made you take me to the stone door?"

I opened my eyes and sat up bringing him with me. Our pipe fell from his hand as he leaned on his arms for support.

"It's simple, really.

You're weak."

* * *

"Neji?"

"What is it Renzo?"

"Do you think I'm weak."

Neji turned to look at me as we walked through the plaza. His grip on my hand tightened and he smiled at me as a father would smile at his child.

"Well you've still got a lot of training to do, but don't worry about it. Everyone starts out weak and-"

"No no, I meant generally. Am I a weak person?"

This time he stopped walking. He reached over and took my other hand in his, placing his forehead on mine.

"You're one of the strongest people I know. Not many people can break an addiction like you have."

His words hit me like a kunai to the face. My chest ached and my eyes stung as I tried to hold back tears. Neji noticed and pulled me closer,

" I'm proud of you Renzo."

I couldn't take it anymore.

I wrenched myself from Neji's arms and ran. I ran and ran and ran. I didn't even know where I was going, but I was going to get there god dammit!

My running was only stopped when I crashed into somebody. The force of the impact threw me backwards and I shook my head violently as I stood up in a flash, desperately apologizing to whomever I had hit.

I finally opened my eyes to be met by a pair of Cerulean ones.

"Gaara… oh my god I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to run into you, I swear! I was just so angry at myself and I couldn't stand it anymore and I had to get away from him and now I'm here and I'm babbling to you about things you probably don't even understand god I'm such a moron! Stupid, Renzo! Stupid!"

Gaara put a hand on my shoulder and I couldn't help but calm down a bit. I was still shaky, but he helped me over to a bench where we sat in silence for a long time.

"You don't like to talk much, do you?"

He simply blinked in reply.

I sighed and looked up at the clouds. Maybe this is my chance to vent…

"Well since you don't speak, I won't have to worry about you telling my secrets to anyone else. So sorry, but I'm about to talk your ears off. It all started when I first came to Konoha…-

So you see, I don't know what to do. I love Neji, but I feel like I barely know anything about him. And I want Sai, but I know enough about him to know that he's just using me. I don't know what to do anymore Gaara. I feel so helpless."

After releasing all my worries and problems onto Gaara, I felt a little better. But the ever raging conflict in my head continued on.

"Stop the drugs."

I whipped my head up to look at him.

_Did he actually just talk?_

"My father did drugs. They made him into a monster. Naruto speaks fondly of you, I don't want him to lose you like I lost my father. As for Neji and Sai, only you can solve that issue."

And with that, he stood up and walked away, leaving me alone with my thoughts on the bench.

I was still in shock at the fact that Gaara did more than just stare at me, but I took his words to heart.

'I don't want to be a monster anymore…"

_You know what? … neither do I … _


End file.
